Matches to Make After UFC 199

No one can deny Michael Bisping’s place in history now. After nearly 10 years and 26 appearances inside the Octagon, Bisping reached his desired destination, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title with a stunning first-round knockout of Luke Rockhold in the UFC 199 main event on Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Bisping buried Rockhold with punches 3:36 into round one, completing his unlikely ascent to the top of the 185-pound division. Never known as a power puncher, Bisping cut down the American Kickboxing Academy standout with two left hands. The first dazed and dropped Rockhold. The second, moments later, knocked him unconscious and left him defenseless against the cage. Bisping did the rest, forcing referee John McCarthy to step in on Rockhold’s behalf. At 37, he becomes the eighth UFC middleweight champion, following in the footsteps of Rockhold, Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Evan Tanner, Murilo Bustamante and Dave Menne. In wake of UFC 199 “Rockhold vs. Bisping 2,” here are five matchups that ought to be considered: Related » UFC 199 By the Numbers Michael Bisping vs. Ronaldo Souza: Few gave Bisping against Rockhold, the proverbial deck supposedly stacked against him. He had been soundly beaten in their first meeting — Rockhold submitted him with a guillotine choke — in November 2014, and there was little reason to believe the rematch would result in a vastly different outcome. Bisping laughed last, however, as he accepted the accepted the assignment on less than three weeks’ notice and capitalized on the opportunity. …

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