Five talking points from UFC 199 as Michael Bisping created history
Monday 6 June 2016 21:51, UK
Michael Bisping has become Britain's first UFC champion but what did we learn from his shock win?
The 37-year-old from Lancashire became middleweight king with a knockout win against Luke Rockhold, his biggest rival, in a rematch from their 2014 fight which the American won.
But what lessons did UFC 199 provide?
Bisping's legacy cemented
For a decade, Bisping has resided just one step away from the top of his chosen mountain. He had seen challengers ascend and fall back to obscurity, none of them able to permanently drag Bisping down with them. Yet, as past world title challengers settle into retirement, the Brit was still one step short from the pinnacle of his journey.
Had he never beaten Rockhold, Bisping would have been heralded for his almost unrivalled longevity. In such a demanding sport, it is almost unheard of to find one athlete whose performance has remained so resolute throughout a decade. His next outing will equal Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz's record of the most UFC fights (27) while winning the belt drew him level with Georges St-Pierre's record of 19 wins inside the Octagon. Bisping's place in cage history was already guaranteed but it would have always come with lingering disappointment that he never jumped the final hurdle.
For seven of Bisping's 10 years in the middleweight division, Anderson Silva held the belt and his reign will go down as the greatest to date. There would have been no shame, for that reason, if the Brit never managed it. A victory over the ageing and belt-less Silva earlier this year was Bisping's finest night and a far bigger achievement than all except the very elite will ever muster.
By grabbing the belt at long last, Bisping has ticked the one box that would have hung over his head if he retired as a perennial contender. Iconic fighters like Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva and the Diaz brothers have never been UFC champions - now there is nothing to separate Bisping from the very best to ever step in the cage.
Pillow fists?
Can old dogs learn new tricks? For all the furore surrounding a major upset, it is notable that Bisping secured victory in a manner that is far from trademark.
He is certainly not renowned as a power-puncher, leading to Rockhold to mischievously tell Sky Sports he wouldn't bother putting his hands up if they rematched. In the end, Rockhold's low guard caused his demise.
A one-shot left hook did the real damage and sent the champion hurtling to the ground, before the same punch finished the fight. At 37, Bisping's power impressed against Silva in February but didn't cause a stoppage. In 10 previous fights spanning four years, Bisping has only stopped Cung Le and that was an attritional assault in the penultimate round. Perhaps, as well as a new belt, he has added a new weapon.
Is nobody safe?
Only one of the UFC's 10 champions has reigned from the present day back until 2014 - Demetrious Johnson - while only three still own a belt having won in 2015 - including Conor McGregor who has never defended his featherweight title.
Rockhold was rated at No 3 on the organisation's official pound-for-pound list and, having convincingly taken the title from Chris Weidman, was seen as part of an emerging generation who could reign for the long-term. Yet even he has failed to make a single defence of his belt. Bisping can expect to be immediately thrown to the wolves for his next fight so it remains to be seen if he can string any title defences together.
Cruz control
Dominick Cruz methodically out-pointed Urijah Faber to defend his bantamweight title, and surge up the pound-for-pound rankings. How many fighters across all weight divisions can lay claim to being better than Cruz?
Prior to his trilogy fight with Faber, he was rated at No 4 on the UFC's official pound-for-pound ranks but will shoot up a place after No 3 Rockhold's loss. Only Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson sit above Cruz - and Cruz owns a win over Johnson.
Horrific injuries threatened to ruin Cruz's career but, having been stripped of his belt due to inactivity, he immediately took it back from TJ Dillashaw earlier this year. His only career defeat was to Faber nine years ago and he has since avenged that twice. His unique stick-and-move style should be the threshold for aspiring fighters and, aged 30, it appears his own brittle knees are his biggest opposition.
Will Henderson call it a day?
Aged 45, Dan Henderson has been the UFC's oldest active fighter for longer than most athletes even compete on the top stage. He beat Hector Lombard with a spectacular elbow knockout but, regardless of result, his career may have drawn to a close.
His UFC contract has expired and he has been non-committal about penning an extension, not helped by six losses in his previous eight fights. Arguably his best win in five years might be enough to coax him into extending his 46-fight career.
