UFC 199 live coverage and updates: Rockhold vs. Bisping
UFC 199 at the Forum tonight is a double-title card pitting two new champions against veteran challengers seeking breakthrough victories.
New middleweight champion Luke Rockhold meets 37-year-old Michael Bisping, who in his first title shot after an extended run as a top-10 contender has the opportunity to become the first UFC champion from England.
It’s an uphill battle for Bisping, who took the fight on short notice for injured former champion Chris Weidman (neck) and is facing a peaking champion in Rockhold, who dominated Weidman by fourth-round technical knockout in December.
San Diego’s Dominick Cruz (21-1) is the returning bantamweight champion after winning the belt by decision over T.J. Dillashaw in January. Now, Cruz reunites with his bitter rival Urijah Faber in their trilogy bout following a 2007 submission by Faber in World Extreme Cagefighting and Cruz’s 2011 unanimous-decision victory.
Before the pay-per-view portion of the card began, Yorba Linda lightweight Beneil Dariush (13-2) delivered massive punches on Texas’ James Vick to win by knockout 4:16 into the first round.
Dariush endured an early head butt and eye poke to wobble Vick (9-1) in the middle of the octagon with a hard left, then finished him with a third consecutive punch to the head.
The Southland success continued when Los Angeles’ Brian Ortega planted a hard right knee to the head of veteran featherweight Clay Guida late in the third round to win by technical knockout.
Guida was the early aggressor on the 12th-ranked Ortega, but Ortega answered when it mattered and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight with 20 seconds remaining.
“I didn’t want to rush it,” Ortega said. “When you get eager, you get sloppy, and when you get sloppy, you get knocked out,” Ortega said.”
Featherweight Alex Caceres staved off some late submission attempts to beat Cole Miller by unanimous decision.
Women’s strawweight Jessica Andrade made her debut in the division a dominant one, pounding sixth-ranked Jessica Penne with second-round punches en route to a technical-knockout victory, with referee Jason Herzog stopping the attack at the 2:56 mark.
The card opened with preliminary bouts including lightweight Polo Reyes knocking out Orange County’s Dong Hyun Kim at 1:52 of the third round, light-heavyweight Henrique da Silva scoring a technical knockout of Jonathan Wilson at 4:11 of the second round and Anaheim welterweight Sean Strickland edging Tom Breese by split-decision, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.
Middleweight Kevin Casey, who kept the fight despite the death of father-in-law Muhammad Ali on Friday, fought Elvis Mutapcic to a split draw – eerily similar to the narrow, disputed split-decision triumph that Ali posted over Ken Norton in his only fight at the Forum in 1973.
“I knew he was going to be motivated,” Mutapcic said of Casey backstage. “Muhammad Ali is the greatest of all time.”
Bobby Green vs. Dustin Poirier, lightweights:
First round: The pay-per-view opened with Poirier, possessing a four-fight winning streak, knocking down Fontana’s Green with a left after Green motioned him forward and he obliged.
“He was saying I couldn’t punch, but he should’ve brought a pillow,” Poirier said.
Follow-up combinations by Louisiana’s Poirier (20-4) followed until another big left by the southpaw dropped Green (23-7), with the referee stopping the fight at 2:53 because of more hurtful rights to the head on the canvas.
Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard, middleweights:
First round: Henderson, a 45-year-old from Temecula, was cheered warmly at introduction. He and his Cuban opponent stood, maneuvering for more than two minutes before Henderson landed a clean right and Lombard answered with a left and moved atop Henderson on the canvas. When they rose, Lombard belted Henderson with hard lefts that backed up the former Strikeforce champion. Lombard went back on top to close the round.
Second round: Henderson threw a hard right after withstanding the attack in the first. Henderson then surprised Lombard with a quick right kick, as Lombard grabbed Henderson’s leg, he pounded Lombard in the head with the backside of his right elbow, knocking down the Cuban and following up on the canvas with two hard forearms to win by TKO stoppage. Big win for the veteran.
“He’s absolutely dangerous, hits hard,” Henderson said of Lombard after the fight. “He caught me [in the first], I weathered the storm and regrouped and I appreciate you guys … I felt your drive to keep going.
“He’s a tough guy, but that felt good. I said I was going to finish him with a head kick. I guess it had to be elbows.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but that could’ve been the last fight of my career.”
Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas, featherweights:
First round: Before introductions, the UFC announced featherweight champion Conor McGregor will fight Nate Diaz in a likely welterweight rematch of Diaz’s March submission victory on August 20.
Hawaii’s Holloway, the UFC’s fourth-ranked featherweight, found No. 5 Lamas with left hands to the face early in the round. More than two minutes in, Holloway hammered Lamas with a combination of punches. Lamas pressed Holloway to the cage, holding his left leg, but that couldn’t match the points he lost earlier and Holloway landed a clean right kick late in the round.
Second round: As they stand, Holloway’s punches are making more of an impact than Lamas’ leg kicks. Lamas is a bit shaky on his feet and Holloway lands four rights before Lamas answers with his own punches that stop the aggression. They go to the canvas, with Holloway on top, then return to striking position. Holloway, nicked on the nose, looks at the clock with 1:06 left and then presses Lamas to the cage with a temporary choke that doesn’t last. Holloway delivers a right elbow to the head before the horn.
Third round: Holloway is positioned to strike and defend as they stand. Lamas misses a spinning back kick. Holloway’s longer arms are keeping Lamas at bay. Holloway presses Lamas to the cage. They both swing violently, nothing big lands. More cage press. Good Holloway left hand and kick. Lamas can take it, but he’s losing the fight. Holloway lands three hard rights to the head as they agree to exchange in the final 10 seconds. Holloway wins by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards.
Dominick Cruz (champion) vs. Urijah Faber, bantamweights:
First round: After Sacramento’s Faber entered to “California Love,” San Diego’s Cruz came in to some techno music, intent to keep his veteran rival belt-less in the UFC after three title shots (one interim).
Cruz took a four-year break from the belt with three knee injuries and a groin tear before recapturing the title by defeating T.J. Dillashaw by decision in January.
Referee Herb Dean brought them together and the taller Cruz shot for a takedown, squeezing Faber around the waist before Faber worked for a reversal that Cruz shifted out of before pressing Faber to the cage. Cruz lands a left kick to gthe gut, Faber presses him to the cage. Faber turns and hits Cruz with a left.
The final 90 seconds of a close round are uneventful.
Second round: Cruz lands a left to the face and drops Faber with a bigger left to the jaw, but Faber gets up to fight on.
Cruz lands another left. He jabs in a left. A Cruz leg kick works. Faber is now backing a bit. Faber punches and misses. Cruz kicks. A Cruz right lands clean.
Third round: A Cruz leg kick causes Faber to slip down to a knee. Faber swings and misses. Both guys land good rights. Faber’s shot looked like it sent Cruz to the mat very briefly. Cruz spicing in some points with kicks. Another good left punch by Cruz, who follows that with another left. Faber reduced to jabbing, looking for openings, but cautious. They shove off each other after bell.
Fourth round: Faber’s strategy is perplexing after the three lost title shots. Where’s the aggression? He backs up Cruz, but. Faber misses a right. Where is Cruz’s big right hand? Faber misses a jab and a hook. They exchange and Cruz again drops Faber, this time with that right that had been absent. A Cruz jab is clean and head-rocking. Good right by Cruz set up by a jab.
Fifth round: Faber’s corner urging him to set up and deliver punches. He’s not executing, though. Cruz jabs and Faber retreats. Another clean Cruz jab and a kick. A right and a left high kicks by Cruz, whose jab is also keeping Faber away. Cruz lands a clean left punch.and follows with a jab; they go to canvas. Cruz is on Faber’s back, squeezing belly. Cruz 90 seconds from apparent victory. Cruz with a takedown. Cruz presses Faber to cage. Cruz wins by unanimous decision, 50-45 on two cards and 49-46 on the other.
Luke Rockhold (champion) vs. Michael Bisping, middleweights:
First round: Referee John McCarthy brought the fighters to action. Rockhold, is seeking to affirm his 2014 second-round submission of Bisping, who is a replacement opponent tonight. Rochold whipped a kick at Bisping’s gut and backed from missed punches to start. Rockhold lands a leg kick, but a left high kick is blocked by Bisping. Rockhold lands a left and right off a Bisping jab. A high Rockhold kick follows. Bisping is missing, although he sneaks in a right. Then Bisping attacks. A big left drops Rockhold. Another follows. And Bisping pounds Rockhold on the canvas wth a right-left-left combo, causing McCarthy to stop the fight at 3:36. Bisping is the first UFC champion from the U.K. – a replacement foe brought in less than three weeks ago.
“I’ve got to be humble here,” Bisping said afterward. “I am so happy right now. There’s nothing I do better in this world than fighting. This was my dream, no one was going to tear this away from me.”
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