Bisping turned out to be right and did not just catch Rockhold with a few to set up the finish.
Advertisement
Bisping’s fortune only occurred because of the misfortunes of another man – former middleweight king Chris Weidman, who was Rockhold’s original opponent for the event, but was forced to pull out with a serious back injury.
It was the culmination of one of the longest, most successful careers of the past decade, which somehow always lacked a title shot.
In the second round, Cruz dropped Faber with a left hand. This brings Rockhold’s number of UFC defeats to three. It’s Bisping’s post-fight attitude that got under Rockhold’s skin, and he made it known in a profanity-laced press conference. He was out. I went to shake his hand afterward and he said he had already shook my hand.
“I feel so good to be able to compete again”, Cruz said.
Rockhold said: “I should have capitalised rather than play around with him”. This is my dream.
“That’s why I took the fight on short notice, that’s what defines me”. Two hours’ notice. Two minutes’ notice. “Thank you guys for the support”.
For most of his time as a contender, Anderson Silva was the champion and Bisping was focused on getting a fight against him. It was one of several wild exchanges among all the fighters during the press conference, leading UFC spokesman Dave Sholler to quip: “I have a feeling this will never end”. “But check this out, first round knockout, left hook”.
“A bit, yeah”, Rockhold said. “I see a devastating knockout and it’s just a matter of what I’m going to knock him out with”. I took it for granted. And that’s why I’m taking this fight. Bisping is not much of a grappler, but he is a tough guy that keeps coming.
For the first time in his career, Michael Bisping is a UFC champion. He looked to calmly walk Bisping down and make use of his size advantage.
Bisping’s victory – his fourth in a row since losing to Rockhold two years ago – earned him Performance of the Night honors and a $50,000 bonus.
Advertisement
According to immediate stats by Fightmetric, the two landed a almost identical number of strikes. He didn’t argue with referee John McCarthy’s stoppage after Bisping’s final barrage of punches left him motionless with his back to the cage. This caused Bisping to launch into a furious expletive filled tirade. “I really don’t”, Bisping told reporters. “Well, check this out”.
