Who would’ve guessed?
Michael Bisping, that’s who. UFC 199 was last weekend, yet the results of that night are still reverberating through the MMA stratosphere. Upon watching his knock out of Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping has become one of the most talked about fighters on the planet. No one gave him a chance including myself. Sure, Bisping is skilled, has heart and some tremendous experience, but to absolutely crush a fighter the caliber of Luke Rockhold was truly something that many believed was unthinkable. Fast forward to today and Michael Bisping is the Middleweight kingpin. There’s certainly a contingent out there that believe Michael Bisping got lucky in this match up, but all evidence proves to be contrary to that very notion. Rockhold made some tactical errors to be sure, but it was really Bisping’s improvements that shined through in this fight. When Rockhold thought to utilize his left round kick, Bisping was circling off to his left away from the power. When Bisping came forward with punches he was sure to avoid Rockhold’s powerful right check hook. Bisping through more feints than his first meeting with the former champion as well as utilized both low line side kicks and round kicks to Rockholds lead leg. The feints that Bisping utilized also made Rockhold freeze up at times and halted his offense. Once Rockhold started reaching and over committing on his punches, “The Count” made him pay with some well placed left hooks. So is the tale of how Michael Bisping became king. Now what? Well, conventional wisdom would say that Bisping would fight Rockhold for the third time. The two genuinely dislike each other and there would be a great amount of interest in a rematch. But at this point it would be nice to see Bisping fight someone else. There will always be buzz and interest in a rematch with Rockhold and, unlikely other champions who received immediate rematches, cough, Chris Weidman, cough, Luke wasn’t a dominant force as champion. Getting knocked out in the first round by a well placed counter shot is as clear as it gets in terms of finality. Bisping should have the opportunity to prove what kind of champion he’s going to be. Will he be able to defend his title against the other murders in the Middleweight division or will he drop the title in his first title defense like Rockhold. Something tells me that Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza would be hoping the UFC takes the second option. How long do you think Michael Bisping will hold on to the title? Follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
