The UFC middleweight division obviously got quite the shakeup when monstrous underdog Michael Bisping knocked out -1000 favorite Luke Rockhold (highlights here) in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Bisping said that he was understandably going to enjoy the belt that had taken him
The UFC middleweight division obviously got quite the shakeup when monstrous underdog Michael Bisping knocked out -1000 favorite Luke Rockhold (highlights here) in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Bisping said that he was understandably going to enjoy the belt that had taken him 10 years to finally get around his waist, but also revealed that he would perhaps ‘knock out’ a few other challengers before granting a trilogy match to Rockhold, who previously submitted him in late 2014.
Rockhold was originally supposed to face former champion Chris Weidman in a rematch of their UFC 194 bout, but a significant neck injury to Weidman opened up an opportunity for Bisping to win the biggest fight of his career. A fight against top contender Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza would obviously make sense for Bisping, but a bout with Weidman, who is hopefully targeting a return at November’s UFC 205 in his home state of New York, might be a bout that’s too big to pass up.
And as expected, Weidman had some conflicting opinions about the fight tonight. First, he apologized for everyone for supposedly ‘creating’ the ‘cocky bastard’ that Rockhold had become:
I created this cocky bastard. All my fault. Sorry to everyone who has to see this. It will be short lived.
Finally, Weidman came to his senses and congratulated Bisping in a bit of a back-handed way, adding that “The Count” would “hand him” his former title back at Madison Square Garden in November:
Mann… Congrats to Bisping. I’ll be waiting in MSG for you to hand me over that belt. Good job.
The dust had hardly settled on Michael Bisping’s amazing knockout win over heavily favored former champion Luke Rockhold in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, and the fighters had already begun setting the stage for a trilogy match. Following a heated back-and-forth at the UFC
The dust had hardly settled on Michael Bisping’s amazing knockout win over heavily favored former champion Luke Rockhold in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, and the fighters had already begun setting the stage for a trilogy match.
Following a heated back-and-forth at the UFC 199 post-fight press conference that featured Rockhold repeatedly calling Bisping “a d***” as “The Count” predictably needled him about being knocked out, the bitter rivalry didn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. Check out the video of the brutal smack talk courtesy of MMA H.E.A.T. right here:
When Bisping apparently tried to shake Rockhold’s hand after the presser, a scuffle erupted where both world-class middleweights had to be separated. Watch it courtesy of MMA Junkie right here:
Veteran Michael Bisping shocked the MMA world in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, when he knocked out former champion Luke Rockhold with a picture-perfect sequence of punches and ground shots in the opening round. Filling in as a late replacement for Chris Weidman, longtime
Veteran Michael Bisping shocked the MMA world in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, when he knocked out former champion Luke Rockhold with a picture-perfect sequence of punches and ground shots in the opening round.
Filling in as a late replacement for Chris Weidman, longtime veteran Bisping stood his ground against the bigger man in the heavily favored Rockhold, and capitalized in a historic way when his opponent fought a bit lackadaisically with his chin in the air.
With 10 years of experience in the UFC, Bisping finally took advantage of a title fight opportunity in shocking fashion that few – if any – predicted. Watch the full fight video highlights of Bisping’s game-changing win right here:
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping: Mike Drahota: I think Rockhold is fully deserving of a pot near the top of the pound-for-pound ranks with five straight finishes over top quality opponents, and I also believes the lopsided betting odds in tis one are justified. That’s obviously not a unique school of though, however, as mostly
I think Rockhold is fully deserving of a pot near the top of the pound-for-pound ranks with five straight finishes over top quality opponents, and I also believes the lopsided betting odds in tis one are justified. That’s obviously not a unique school of though, however, as mostly everyone (if not everyone) is picking the bigger, younger, and more well-rounded challenger to send the seasoned “Count” back to England with another finish loss on his record. It’s certainly doesn’t hurt that Rockhold finished Bisping somewhat easily in their first meeting back at UFC Fight Night 55 in late 2014.
True, the Brit is coming off three straight wins highlighted by his decision victory over Anderson Silva, but as “Rocky” said, “The Sider” isn’t on his level right now – or ever. To prove that true, Rockhold will need to build a record-setting streak of title defenses, and that begins with a second stoppage over Bisping tonight. “The Count” no doubt possesses some of the best volume striking, cardio, toughness, and heart at 185 pounds, but I don’t like his chances standing or especially if it goes to the ground, where Rockhold finished former champion Chris Weidman in his last bout. To beat Rockhold, you have to get in his face and knock him out. While he has the pressuring style, Bisping doesn’t have the necessary power in my eyes. I have to pick Rockhold by first round submission.
Rory Kernaghan:
UFC middleweight champion Rockhold has some of the nastiest kicks in the game today. He used them very effectively in the first with Michael Bisping in late 2014, and although ‘The Count’ looked a lot better vs. Anderson Silva, I unfortunately can’t see how he overcomes the power and effective range of ‘Rocky.’ There will be a lot of heart needed to overcome the physical disadvantages for Bisping, and I wouldn’t write him off completely, but I would place money on Rockhold if I were a betting man. He’s fresher, trains with a very elite team of champions, has the size, power, reach and weight advantage. Rockhold by submission round three.
Mike Henken:
As much as I’d like to see the longtime veteran in Bisping finally acquire the UFC middleweight title, I just don’t see him getting past Rockhold here. The champion got the better of “The Count” the first time around, and Bisping had a full camp heading into that bout as opposed to the two weeks he had to prepare this time. The Brit has indeed won three straight since losing to Rockhold, but I believe that the champion has too many tools to win here. His lengthy southpaw striking and brutal kicks could provide Bisping with problems on the feet, and his elite-level submission skills make him a threat on the ground as well. Rockhold by third round knockout.
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber:
Mike Drahota:
The former and current 135-pound king – and many say the best bantamweight ever – miraculously returned to form after an almost four-year spat with serious leg injuries to take the belt from former champ (and Faber protégé) TJ Dillashaw, so now his rivalry with “The California Kid” both continues and ends tonight. “The Dominator” beat the previous consensus No. 1 bantamweight, albeit by split decision, in his last fight, while Faber has appeared to be slowly fading over his last three fights, where he beat mid-level fighters Frankie Saenz and Alex Caceres while losing to Frankie Edgar. Faber does own a previous win over Cruz, but that was back in 2007 when “The Dominator” was 21, and it remains his only loss. It’s a trendy and simple pick, but I have to think the champ used his peerless footwork and otherworldly ability to avoid getting hit to cruise to a win here. Cruz by unanimous decision.
Rory Kernaghan:
Cruz looks to make the first defense in his second reign as UFC bantamweight champion, and he does so against a man who’s had some tough hands during his UFC run. Faber has been there and done it, but never made it to a UFC title, and I don’t think tonight will be the night. ‘The Dominator’ just has footwork that’s out of this world, and although ‘The California Kid’ looks jacked in recent training photos, it’s going to take so much more than that. An interesting fact for you, TJ Dillashaw only connected with 26% of his standing strikes against Cruz. Will Faber step up and take Cruz out? I’d actually like to see it, but again I have to go with my gut instead of my nuts; Cruz by decision.
Mike Henken:
I see this bout playing out as many of Cruz’s bouts do. Faber has always had a well-rounded skillset featuring powerful punching, established takedowns, and slick submissions. With that being said, Cruz’s footwork and movement makes him a master of not getting hit, and his wrestling usually allows him to dictate the pace of the fight. I see the champion picking apart Faber from the outside and essentially outpointing him. Cruz by unanimous decision.
Tomorrow night’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, is only hours away, and the UFC is back with the fifth episode of Their UFC 199 Embedded V-log series chronicling the action leading up to the pay-per-view (PPV) main card. Watch middleweight champ Luke Rockhold finish his preparation for his rematch with
Tomorrow night’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, is only hours away, and the UFC is back with the fifth episode of Their UFC 199 Embedded V-log series chronicling the action leading up to the pay-per-view (PPV) main card.
Watch middleweight champ Luke Rockhold finish his preparation for his rematch with Michael Bisping and break down his opponent, while “The Count” receives an outpouring of support from his British fans.
Meanwhile, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz gets set to make the media rounds with his heated rival Urijah Faber, which leads into the explosive UFC 199 pre-fight press conference.
Check out the latest installment of UFC 199 Embedded right here:
Fully deserving of a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in mixed martial arts, UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold usually doesn’t let anyone in the media – or his opponent – know about any ailments minor or serious he might have going into a fight. That was the case in his last bout against
Fully deserving of a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in mixed martial arts, UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold usually doesn’t let anyone in the media – or his opponent – know about any ailments minor or serious he might have going into a fight.
That was the case in his last bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 194, when he kept an infection under wraps as he attempted to recover with a course of draining antibiotics. Rockhold persevered to stop the former champion in the fourth round, and now he’ll meet Michael Bisping, who replaced an injured Weidman in the main event of Saturday night’s (June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from Inglewood, California.
But in this rematch against “The Count,” whom he finished with an especially visceral mounted guillotine in their first match-up at UFC Fight Night 55, Rockhold isn’t pulling any punches about the present wear-and-tear he’s been dealing with.
Opening up during today’s spirited UFC 199 press conference, Rockhold revealed that he has been dealing with a very serious knee injury in the form of a torn MCL, but he’s going to fight through it, as he doesn’t pull out of fights:
“I’ve been dealing with a knee injury. I’m not gonna lie. This whole camp. But I don’t pull out of fights. I fight through injuries. I don’t care what the circumstances are. I tore my MCL. I haven’t grappled this whole camp. I just started kicking last week.”
That statement of course drew an immediate response from the brash Bisping, who quickly accused Rockhold of already making excuses and looking for an “insurance policy” for when he loses. But that’s far from the case according to Rockhold, who assured “The Count” he’s so far from his level that he doesn’t need the knee to defeat him again:
“I don’t need an insurance policy to beat your ass. I don’t need a knee. I don’t even need to walk. I’ll crawl in that cage and I’ll still whoop your ass. Watch. You’re just an average bloke. I’m a fucking samurai.”
Although Rockhold has been nothing but dominant during his recent five-fight surge to the top, he has been accused of making excuses by both of his last two opponents. It could just be a case of sour grapes due to the fact that Rockhold decimated both Rockhold and Bisping before the final bell, however.
Time will tell if his torn MCL will affect the outcome of his rematch with Bisping to give those words any weight.
