The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia tonight for UFC Fight Night 55: “Rockhold vs Bisping.” The event was headlined by a middleweight bout between former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold and Michael “The Count” Bisping.
Also on tonight’s card, “Raging” Al Iaquinta faced off against Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson in the lightweight co-feature. Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker battled Clint “Headbussa” Hester at 185 pounds and Soa “The Hulk” Palelei took on Walt “The Big Ticket” Harris in main card heavyweight action.
Luke Rockhold vs Michael “The Count” Bisping
Round 1:
Rockhold kept his distance and avoided lunging punches from Bisping early in the fight. A clash of heads opened a cut above Bisping’s left eye and time was called. Action resumed in a clinch and Bisping broke free. Rockhold landed a body kick and he sidestepped hooks from Bisping. Another body kick scored for Rockhold and he followed with more kicks. He forced Bisping to backpedal and circle away. Bisping countered with two leg kicks and a quick flurry before the bell. 10-9 Rockhold.
Round 2:
A head kick dropped Bisping in the opening minute of round two and Rockhold dove on him with punches. Bisping weathered the storm, but Rockhold pulled guard with a guillotine choke. He rolled into mount and wrenched back on the one-arm guillotine until Bisping hastily tapped out.
Winner: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:57 of round two. He improves to 13-2-0.
“Raging” Al Iaquinta vs Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson
Round 1:
Pearson opened the action with a short right hook and a straight left. Iaquinta countered an uppercut with a right cross. Both men landed powerful right hands and Iaquinta mixed in lead left hooks. Pearson landed a combination and Iaquinta replied with kicks to the body late in the close round. 10-9 Iaquinta.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of kicks and Iaquinta landed a one-two. He dropped Pearson with a right hook, but Pearson got back to his feet. Iaquinta swarmed on him with more punches against the cage and landed another big right hook that dropped Pearson face-first to the canvas. Iaquinta continued to punch until referee Leon Roberts waved off the fight.
Winner: Al Iaquinta by TKO (Punches) at 1:39 of round two. He improves to 10-3-1.
Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker vs Clint “Headbussa” Hester
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of leg kicks and huge left hooks. Hester backpedalled, but he regained his composure and shot in for a takedown. Whittaker stuffed it and he stunned Hester with a stiff jab. Hester stepped forward and landed a massive spinning back forearm strike. Whittaker amazingly walked right through it and he dropped Hester with a right hand. Hester survived an onslaught of punches, but Whittaker kept him pinned down and worked from top position. Hester swept late in the round, but he was unable to mount much offence before the bell. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 2:
Whittaker put Hester on the defensive early in round two with leg kicks and combinations. Hester fired back with looping hooks and Whittaker landed an uppercut. He tried for a takedown and landed more stiff jabs. Whittaker stuffed a takedown and backed Hester up with punches. He dropped him with a knee and landed more punches on the ground until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Robert Whittaker by TKO (Knee & Punches) at 2:43 of round two. He improves to 13-4-0.
Soa “The Hulk” Palelei vs Walt “The Big Ticket” Harris
Round 1:
Palelei tried unsuccessfully for a takedown early on and Harris defended well on his feet. He landed a flurry of punches and a kick to the upper body. The fighters exchanged single punches and leg kicks. Palelei threw a head kick and Harris blocked it just in time. A big body kick landed for Harris and he followed with left hands late in the round. 10-9 Harris.
Round 2:
Palelei dropped Harris to a knee with a leg kick in round two and the fighters traded power punches after Harris regained his footing. More hard punches were exchanged and Harris began to slow down. He threw punches and occasional body kicks while backing up until Palelei took him down against the cage. Harris gave up his back and Palelei landed punches and hammerfists until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Soa Palelei by TKO (Punches) at 4:49 of round two. He improves to 22-4-0.
Undercard Fights:
– Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews defeated Vagner “Ceara” Rocha by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:52 of round two. He improves to 8-0-0 with the win.
– Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh defeated Carlos Augusto “Guto” Inocente Filho by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:46 of round one. He improves to 15-8-0 with the win.
– “Smile’n” Sam Alvey defeated Dylan “The Villain” Andrews by KO (Punches) at 2:16 of round one. He improves to 24-6-0, 1 NC with the win.
– Louis “Da Last Samurai” Smolka defeated Richie “Vas” Vaculik by KO (Side Kick & Punches) at 0:18 of round three. He improves to 8-1-0 with the win.
– Chris “The Menace” Clements defeated Vik “The Spartan” Grujic by TKO (Knees & Punches) at 3:06 of round one. He improves to 12-5-0, 1 NC with the win.
– Daniel Kelly defeated Luke Zachrich by Submission (Kimura) at 4:27 of round one. He improves to 8-0-0 with the win.
– Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage defeated Jumabieke “The Wild Wolf” Tuerxun by KO (Head Kick) at 2:58 of round one. He improves to 7-3-0 with the win.