UFC 199: Rockhold vs Bisping – Winners and Losers

The strangest thing about this event has been the fact that it was greatly overshadowed by so much of the hype surrounding the biggest Brazil card ever at UFC 198 and the grandest event they’ve planned for thus far at UFC 200. In fact, even headliner Luke Rockhold didn’t want to fight on this card.

So with not much in the way of expectations for an event like this, a series of average of just passable performances would have been more than nice. The reality of it is that we got a series of really amazing performances instead with some great upsets and surprises. With two title fights at the top, it bolstered the card and gave it more legitimate star power as well. This was clearly one of the best cards of the year so far, and lots of great stories have come from this event. Let’s do this.

Winners

Michael Bisping – As I said earlier on social media, this is the year of the Cinderella story. First it was Miesha Tate, now it’s the greatest fighter to have never fought for a title. Coming in with just over two weeks notice, it’s amazing that he came off doing a film to step up and seize the opportunity of a lifetime. Strange and somewhat unfortunate that it was only because Weidman was injured and Jacare was in need of surgery that he got the shot to begin with (not to mention Yoel Romero’s suspension). The man most saw as yet another sacrificial lamb, repeatedly found a home for that left hook and blasted Rockhold with what was were probably some of the finest shots he’s ever fired to become the unlikely champion in front of his family and friends. A true lifetime achievement that deserves a tremendous amount of praise. All these years of sacrifice and pain have yielded the ultimate reward, and this is truly one of the most historic fights we’ve had the pleasure to witness.

Dan Henderson – This was the fight that had me breathing heavy. Another unexpected showing from both fighters where once again Lombard looked like he was finishing his opponent early and got caught with a head kick that lead to a monster elbow that put the former Olympic Judoka to sleep. Hard. While most people would probably have preferred Hendo retire right then and there in the cage, it’s only fair that he give it some time to consider what he wants to do. Another case of a fighter with a massive win being able to share the moment with his family in the cage, and one that we’ll surely look back on in years to come.

Dominick Cruz – Perhaps it’s safe to say the Faber/Cruz rivalry is mostly over now. Cruz used a nice variety of weapons to outmaneuver Faber and keep his title in a clear manner that showed just how far ahead of the rest of the division he truly is. It’s a great division with some fresh matchups and compelling characters, so there should be no shortage of challengers for Cruz to face.

Max Holloway – Nine. Nine fights in a row and still sort of in a state of limbo. With the title picture being complicated now as McGregor has the belt with a series of misadventures outside of the weight class along with an interim title to be fought over at UFC 200, there’s no clear path for him right now. He wants a crack at the belt, which he should eventually get with another performance like this and should arguably have by now, and a spot on a UFC card in Hawaii. That last one is going to be a bit difficult and may not happen anytime soon, but it seems like management wait until the smoke clears between Aldo and Edgar before making their next move with Holloway.

Dustin Poirier – Returning to lightweight has been the best thing so far for Poirier, who now is on a four-fight win streak and three of them have been finishes with two Performance of the Night bonuses, to boot. He’s plugging away to keep moving up the rankings In the very best division in all of the sport, and that’s a tremendous turnaround. He’s shown improvement between each outing and he’s one of the true feel-good stories.

Beneil Dariush – Having a five-fight win streak be broken by a loss to Michael Chiesa really lit a fire under Dariush. He came in hard and put on a relentless pace, disrupts any rhythm Vick might have tried to establish and kept blasting him with the big blind overhands in a manner similar to Bisping and eventually put him to sleep. Outstanding performance to regain momentum and continue his rise through the ranks.

Jessica Andrade – Dropping two weight classes is one thing, doing so and putting on a hurting on one of the most …

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