“I’m an average guy, more than average, really”, a joyous Bisping said after the fight.
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Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber were supposed to have their third meeting in 2012 at UFC 148 – the card headlined by Silva and Chael Sonnen that started the promotion’s now annual International Fight Week event in Las Vegas – but the champion tore his ACL. He entered the Octagon for the 26th time on Saturday when he faced Luke Rockhold for the middleweight championship in the UFC 199 main event.
After Weidman was forced to pull out, the obvious first choice was number two ranked contender, Jacare Souza.
Lombard, returning after a four-fight stint at 170 pounds, can knock out anyone but cardio issues limit his ceiling. Lamas, 34, has lost two of his last three fights. Holloway (16-3, 12-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks from all three judges, extending his winning streak to nine fights.
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new UFC middleweight champion in town. It was a vicious knockout win over Hector Lombard, a sizable favourite going into the matchup – a powerful elbow to the temple in the second round after getting rocked himself in an outstanding round one, to earn the other Performance of the Night bonus.
The build up to the fight was fueled with aggression and quality banter from both fighters.
Bisping was the aggressor early, but the fight looked to swing in favor of Rockhold once the pace slowed down.
“Congrats to Michael”, Rockhold said, per Fox Sports UFC. “Something they’ve never seen before”. Nothing he brought put me in a place where I felt a true threat, or caused me concern. Rockhold said in the press conference. Because I know this: “He’ll help me by talking by [selling the fight], but he won’t be talking when it is over”. Twice before he neared such heights only to fall short, so when the opportunity to step in for Chris Weidman presented itself he had no choice but to accept. For me, it’s the truth.
“I was out, I was hurt and he stayed competing”. So I like it that he talks.
And Rockhold made it clear Bisping’s run will not last long. And I hope he talks and talks and talks. “I’m just confident in my abilities”. And that’s what separates us. “He’s a warrior. I’ve got to credit him and give him respect in the cage”.
Rockhold said: “I should have capitalised rather than play around with him”. “Whether he had a full camp, half a camp or a weeks notice”. He was almost untouchable for most of his fights and was one of the pound for pound best fighters in the world. “He managed to go 0-3 for title shots and he dodged the 135-pound title and probably one of the biggest fights in the division and he had the offer to fight T.J. Dillashaw while I was out”.
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In the third round, Faber had a few successes clipping Cruz as he came in but Cruz seemed to always land the harder, cleaner shots as he began to put together his strike and move patterns with better timing as the fight went on. Bisping cleaned up what was left with follow-up punches.
