Will Luke Rockhold be able to defend his crown at UFC 199? That's the biggest question circling about in the minds of MMA fans at the moment. The answer will finally be revealed in a few hours.
UFC Middleweight champion Rockhold will be fighting Michael Bisping in the main event of the PPV at The Forum, Inglewood, in California on Saturday. The American was originally scheduled to take on former champion Chris Weidman in the headliner of UFC 199, but a late injury to Weidman made the UFC look for a new challenger, and bang, Bisping was right there, itching for the title shot.
Considering the war of words and expletives that have ensued between the fighters ahead of the mega fight, a power-packed action inside the octagon can be guaranteed on Saturday evening. In the pre-fight staredown after the weigh-in, Bisping landed a light jab in Rockhold's mid-section, but the champion didn't retort.
Instead, he put his hands at the back, indicating all the action be reserved for the fight night.
UFC President Dana White also tried his best to control a possible brawl in the weigh-in event. Both fighters weighed in at 185 pounds. Check the staredown below:
The co-main event of the PPV, meanwhile, will be another classic battle between two octagon veterans. UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will be taking on Urijah Faber for the third time inside the MMA cage, to see who is the better fighter.
Many boxing fans could draw parallels to this fight with the historic rivalry between Muhammad Ali, who passed away on Friday night at Phoenix, Arizona, and Joe Frazier. The two boxing legends fought on three occasions for the bragging rights. On Saturday too, Cruz and Faber will be looking forward to their trilogy fight with the same intentions -- giving the combat sports fans a relishing treat.
Both fighters have a win each over the other. The challenger weighed in at 134.5 pounds, while the champion weighed in at 135 pounds. The staredown between them after the weigh-in was nothing but intense:
Where to watch LIVE (Main Card)
UFC 199: Luke Rockhold vs Michael Bisping 2 airs LIVE from 10 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. PST (7:30 a.m. IST, 3 a.m. BST, 1 p.m. AEDT) on June 4, 2016.
TV information
India - Sony Six and Sony Six HD.
US, Canada - PPV.
Brazil - Combate.
UK, Ireland - BT Sport 2.
Australia - Main Event.
New Zealand - Sky Sports Arena.
Live streams - UFC TV, YouTube (not available in the UK, Brazil, and India).
