Bisping stuns Rockhold as +550 ‘dog at UFC 199

Michael Bisping is the new UFC middleweight champion after defeating Luke Rockhold by first-round KO at UFC 199.

Michael Bisping is the new UFC middleweight champion after defeating Luke Rockhold by first-round KO at UFC 199.

Published on Sunday, 6/5/16, at 4:10 p.m. Eastern.

Michael Bisping is the new middleweight champion after shocking the world with a first-round knockout of Luke Rockhold as a massive +550 underdog in Saturday’s UFC 199 headliner at The Fabulous Forum in Inglewood.

Bisping took the fight on just two weeks of notice after former champ Chris Weidman was forced out of his rematch with Rockhold due to a neck injury. The 37-year-old Bisping has now won four fights in a row.

Gamblers backing the ‘under’ (1.5 rounds, -120) cashed an easy winner. Meanwhile, bettors taking the proposition wager for Bisping to win in Round 1 cashed a monster 25/1 ticket at 5Dimes. Also, the prop for Bisping to win by KO paid a 9/1 return (risk $100 to win $900).

‘The Count’ caught Rockhold with a left counter hook that floored him. Rockhold quickly jumped up, only to get blasted by another left that put him down against the cage. Bisping followed up with three punches before referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy intervened at the 3:36 mark of the opening stanza.

In the co-main event, Dominick Cruz routed Urijah Faber by unanimous decision as a -400 ‘chalk.’ I gave Faber the first round, but it was all Cruz after that. He floored the ‘California Kid’ with punches twice and was the better wrestler all night.

Cruz will likely face the winner of T.J. Dillashaw versus Raphael Assuncao when they collide at UFC 200 next month.

Max Holloway won his ninth fight in a row when he defeated Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision. The 24-year-old Hawaiian is overdue a title shot, but the 145-pound loop is in flux with scheduled bouts between Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo set for UFC 200 (for the interim featherweight strap) and current champ Conor McGregor slated to take on Nate Diaz at welterweight in the UFC 202 headliner.

Therefore, I would suggest that Holloway meet Chad Mendes in a Fight Night headliner in Hawaii.

The narrative for Dan Henderson going into UFC 199 was that he was done and likely making his last career Octagon appearance vs. Hector Lombard. It was the last fight on Hendo’s contract and he was a huge underdog.

But the ageless 45-year-old turned back the clock yet again. He was dropped by Lombard and in all sorts of trouble in the first round. ‘Hendo’ weathered the storm, though, and survived the rest of the stanza.

In the second round, Henderson landed a sick head kick. As his leg was coming down after connecting, Lombard caught it. This prompted Henderson to throw a back elbow that landed square on the temple and sent Lombard to the canvas. Henderson followed up with huge elbows to knock Lombard out cold.

If Henderson decided to call it a career, it was one helluva way to go out. He was non-committal on retirement afterward and it probably just depends on what sort of contract offer the UFC brings to the table.

Henderson hooked up his backers as a +285 underdog.

In the pay-per-view opener, Dustin ‘Diamond’ Poirier improved to 4-0 in the 155-pound division with a first-round KO of Bobby Green as a -185 ‘chalk.’

In the prelims headliner, Brian Ortega rallied for a second straight win by third-round finish when he was just moments away from losing a decision to Clay Guida. ‘The Carpenter’ was in control for most of the fight and was undoubtedly ahead on the scorecards. However, with 20 seconds remaining in the final round, Ortega landed a beautiful flying knee for the third-round KO.

**B.E.’s Octagon Nuggets**

–In a stunning development first reported by MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will return to the Octagon against a to-be-determined opponent at UFC 200. His foe will be announced on Monday. With Frank Mir dealing with a USADA violation, he’s not an option. Therefore, the candidates appear to be heavyweights like Josh Barnett or Todd Dufee. The retired Shane Carwin, who lost an epic battle to Lesnar at UFC 116 when he was submitted in Round 2 after battering Lesnar with dozens of strikes in the first round, tweeted that he would love to come out of retirement and face Lesnar. The 38-year-old Lesnar hasn’t fought since losing by TKO (body kick and punches) to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141. Lesnar owns a 5-3 career record.

–Following Cruz’s win over Faber, Helwani was escorted out of the show by UFC security and was told that he “is banned for life from UFC events.” Why, you ask? Well, apparently UFC officials didn’t take kindly to him reporting about Lesnar’s return before the promotion was set to make that announcement during UFC 199. This is such a petty move and media member beyond those in the MMA bubble have expressed outrage last night and today. This is such a piss-poor look for the UFC and you would think that the “banned for life” assessment won’t stand. Helwani lost his job at FOX because he broke the news of a Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz rematch before the UFC wanted that news to go public. So basically, the promotion wants to punish him because he’s the best MMA reporter on the planet.

–5Dimes opened McGregor as a -130 favorite vs. Diaz (+100) for their UFC 202 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

–For UFC Fight Night 90 in Las Vegas (I’ll be there), 5Dimes opened Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson as a -170 favorite vs. Derrick ‘Black Beast’ Lewis in the co-main event. Nelson has been reduced to -140 ‘chalk,’ leaving Lewis at even money.

–5Dimes opened Cat Zingano as a -160 favorite for her Octagon return at UFC 200 against Julianna Pena, who is the +120 underdog.

–5Dimes is currently listing Robbie Lawler as a -260 favorite vs. Tyron Woodley (+180) for their UFC 201 headliner in Atlanta.

–5Dimes has Fabrico Werdum as a -260 ‘chalk’ vs. Ben Rothwell (+180) for their heavyweight showdown at UFC 203 in Cleveland.

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