UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold defends his title against Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 199 on Saturday. This is the second fight in the UFC between the two decorated fighters.
Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman was originally scheduled to take on Rockhold for the rematch, but the American had to pull out of the fight owing to a late injury. Bisping, therefore, the closest contender in the weight division and one of the most deserving middleweight fighters in the UFC, was stepped up as his replacement.
In their previous fight, Rockhold recorded an impressive win over the Englishman by a submission in the second round, which also earned him the performance of the night laurel in November 2014.
Whether Bisping can exact revenge this time around, remains to be seen. The 37-year-old veteran is coming into the fight at the back of a win against the legendary Anderson Silva in an UFC Fight Night event this February.
Following the announcement of the match, a war of words and expletives ensued between Rockhold and Bisping, making the build up to the UFC 199 headliner a cracking one.
"Listen, you're talking like you're this dominant champion. You just won the belt," said Bisping to Rockhold in a press conference, as quoted by Fox Sports. "This is your first defence. It's not like you're Anderson Silva, who I just beat by the way, this is your first defence, you're going to lose the belt."
Rockhold, too, retorted with full force. "I (expletive) knocked you out and choked you out and you still have the audacity to run your mouth. That is the most amazing thing about you, Bisping," said the champion. "I know you can't see straight but obviously you can't think straight either."
While the UFC 199 main event no doubt would be the one to watch out for, the co-main event too will be unmissable as UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz takes on Urijah Faber in a title bout.
The duo will meet for the third time inside the octagon. They had met at WEC 26 in 2007 and at UFC 132 in 2011. Both have one win each.
UFC 199: Rockhold vs Bisping 2 schedule:
Date: June 4, 2016.
Venue: The Forum, Inglewood, California.
TIme: 10 p.m. EST / 7 pm PST (7:30 a.m. IST, 3 a.m. BST, 1 p.m. AEDT)
TV listings: Sony Six, Sony Six HD (India), PayPerView (US, Canada), BT Sport 2 (UK), Combate (Brazil), Main Event (Australia).
Main card:
Luke Rockhold vs Michael Bisping - Middleweight championship
Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber - Bantamweight championship
Max Holloway vs Ricardo Lamas - Featherweight fight
Dan Henderson vs Hector Lombard - Middleweight fight
Dustin Poirier vs Bobby Green - Lightweight fight
