The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to The Forum in Inglewood, California tonight for UFC 199: “Rockhold vs Bisping 2.” The event featured a UFC Middleweight Championship rematch between reigning champ Luke Rockhold and late-replacement challenger Michael “The Count” Bisping.
In tonight’s co-main event, UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz put his belt on the line in a trilogy bout against rival “The California Kid” Urijah Faber. Max “Blessed” Holloway faced Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas at 145. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Middleweight Championship
Michael “The Count” Bisping vs Luke Rockhold
Round 1:
Rockhold landed leg kicks early on and Bisping fired back with right hands. Rockhold went high with a kick and followed with a combination. Bisping ducked under and he countered a left cross from Rockhold with a hard three-punch flurry. The fighters traded punches and Bisping landed left hands. Rockhold threw kicks to the head and liver, and the latter appeared to hurt Bisping. He recovered quickly and badly rocked Rockhold with punches. Rockhold staggered backwards and Bisping dropped him with another big flurry. Rockhold collapsed against the base of the cage and Bisping knocked him out with a final barrage of punches.
Winner: Michael Bisping by KO (Punches) at 3:36 of round one. He improves to 29-7-0 and becomes the new UFC Middleweight Champion.
UFC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz vs “The California Kid” Urijah Faber
Round 1:
Cruz secured an early takedown into half-guard, but he was unable to land anything damaging from the top and Faber returned to his feet. The fighters battled for position in a clinch and both men landed short strikes. Faber shot in for a takedown and briefly got Cruz down. Cruz scrambled up and the fighters exchanged quick jabs and right hands. Cruz landed a stiff jab and avoided a counter flurry from Faber. Close opening round. 10-9 Cruz.
Round 2:
Cruz floored Faber with a huge left hand early in the second round. Faber recovered enough to get back to his feet, but appeared to be unsteady. Faber ducked under a head kick and tried for a takedown, but Cruz evaded and cracked him with another left cross. Cruz picked his shots with kicks to the lead leg and body. He punched over the top and ducked under Faber’s counters. Cruz used feints to set up left and right hooks to the head and body late in the round. 10-9 Cruz.
Round 3:
Cruz kicked out Faber’s lead leg in round three and kept the pressure on with punches. Faber landed a right hook behind the ear, but Cruz spun him around with a counter right hand. He landed two more rights and mixed in leg kicks. Cruz stunned Faber momentarily with a looping left hook over the top. He followed with a combination and Faber fired back with an uppercut. Cruz kept Faber guessing with step-in punches and takedown attempts. 10-9 Cruz.
Round 4:
Faber looked to counter Cruz’s leg kicks with a takedown in the fourth round, but Cruz easily stayed on his feet. He landed punches and caught Faber’s kicks. Cruz dropped Faber with a flurry and unloaded with punches and a head kick on the way up. Faber recovered and both men landed three-punch combinations. 10-9 Cruz.
Round 5:
Cruz teed off with punches and two head kicks early in the final round. Faber responded with a hard right hand, but he was unable to follow up. Cruz connected with three power punches in close and he took Faber’s back after dragging him down to the mat. Faber stood up and Cruz knees his thighs. Faber broke away, but Cruz took him down into side control. Faber scrambled up again and ate a left hook late in the round. 10-9 Cruz.
Winner: Dominick Cruz by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) after five rounds. He improves to 22-1-0 and remains the UFC Bantamweight Champion.
Max “Blessed” Holloway vs Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas
Round 1:
Holloway opened the action with a quick combination and Lamas replied with a spinning back kick. He missed with an uppercut and Holloway clipped him with two right hands. He backed Lamas up with jabs and followed with a head kick. Holloway hurt him with a lengthy flurry of punches and mixed in knees to the body. Lamas recovered and tried for a takedown, but wound up on the bottom. The fighters stood and traded body kicks. Holloway stuffed another takedown and landed a spinning wheel kick to the face. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 2:
Lamas landed some nice leg kicks in the second round, but Holloway backed him up with another combination. He rushed in with aggressive punches and rocked Lamas with a one-two. More punches landed for Holloway, but Lamas tagged him with a counter combination. Holloway reversed a takedown into a North-South Choke. The fighters scrambled and returned to their feet. Holloway reversed another takedown and he threatened with a North-South Choke and a rear-naked choke. He peppered Lamas with punches and elbows before the bell. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 3:
The final round began with another exchange of punches and leg kicks. Holloway landed lunging punches that backed Lamas up on two occasions. He followed with a step-in elbow and Lamas replied with a kick-punch combo. He landed a head kick and a nice right cross. Holloway continued to throw punches in succession, but Lamas landed another head kick. Holloway forced him to retreat after landing a four-punch flurry and Lamas tried unsuccessfully for a takedown. He connected with a spinning back elbow and the fighters teed off with huge punches in the final ten seconds. 10-9 Holloway.
Winner: Max Holloway by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-3-0.
Dan “Hendo” Henderson vs Hector “Showeather” Lombard
Round 1:
Henderson landed leg kicks and right hands early in the opening round as the fighters cautiously circled. Henderson rocked Lombard with a right hook, but he was overly aggressive when looking for the finish and Lombard clipped him with a counter hook. He took Henderson down into side control and attempted a straight armbar. Henderson battled back to his feet and landed overhand punches, but Lombard dropped him with a left hook. Henderson stood and Lombard scored with heavy punches before taking Henderson down. He landed punches and elbows from Henderson’s guard. 10-9 Lombard.
Round 2:
More cautious punches were exchanged in round two until Henderson went high with a head kick. A stunned Lombard was instantly rendered unconscious by a back elbow strike to the temple, and he collapsed to the mat as Henderson landed two more follow-up elbows to the face.
Winner: Dan Henderson by KO (Head Kick & Elbows) at 1:27 of round two. He improves to 32-14-0.
Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier vs Bobby “King” Green
Round 1:
Poirier landed punches early in the fight and Green began to taunt. Poirier floored him with a left hook and followed with punches on the ground, but Green recovered and he battled back to his feet. Poirier hurt him with a left hook and landed another flurry soon after. Green ate punch after punch, but he stayed on his feet until Poirier sent him crashing to the mat with a left cross. Green rolled onto his stomach and Poirier landed punches until the bout was stopped.
Winner: Dustin Poirier by KO (Punches) at 2:53 of round one. He improves to 20-4-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)