INGLEWOOD, California – It’s not the main event we thought it would be, but UFC 199 is still a loaded card with several must see fights! Let’s get right to it.
This monster card will be held on June 4, 2016 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The event was expected to be headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship rematch between current champion Luke Rockhold and former champion Chris Weidman in a rematch of their UFC 194 card that saw Rockhold hand Weidman his first ever loss. That plan was nixed when Weidman pulled out on May 17 due to a large extrusion herniation on his neck.
UFC fan villian and veteran Michael “The Count” Bisping has stepped up and accepted the title match. The count will be looking for sweet revenge as the two met previously in November of 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping, with Rockhold winning via submission in the second round.
Michael Bisping has had 25 UFC fights, going 18-7 in that stretch. Almost no one has ever fought in the octagon as much as he has. He is coming off of his biggest win ever, a unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva back on February 27. Bisping is red hot and looking to make the most of this opportunity.
While only having 17 MMA fights, Luke Rockhold has made the most of his time and racked up title along the way. He is a former Strikeforce Middleweight champion and has gone 5-0 in the UFC since losing his company debut to Vitor Belfort. He holds victories over some of the biggest names in the sport, such as Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo Souza, Michael Bisping, Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida, Tim Boetsch and several others along the way. He is used to big fights and will do just fine accepting this challenge on short notice. I would look for Rockhold to hold on to the title in a Five Round Split Decision.
The co-main event features the final match of a trilogy between two hated rivals! Current two-time UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber will hook it up one more time on Saturday Night. Cruz is a heavy favorite and for good reason as he has not lost since March 24, 2007. Nearly 10 years since his last and only defeat, ironically enough it came at the hands of Urijah Faber in WEC. Since then, he has been unstoppable and I would look for that to continue this Saturday with a knockout over crowd favorite and the hometown boy, Faber.
I personally feel that the title match should have been a rematch with TJ Dillashaw, but the UFC wanted to feature the California Kid at home. I firmly believe Cruz will ruin that homecoming and take the third and final match of the trilogy.
Will Dan Henderson fight his final MMA battle on Saturday night at UFC 199? It is correct to assume his matchup against Hector Lombard will be his last all things considered.
Henderson was once one of the most dominant men in the sport but never truly reached his full potential in the UFC. The UFC hasn’t been kind to him as he never held a title despite several chances. His UFC record has dropped to 8-8 and he is 2-6 in his last 8 UFC fights.
More scary then the six losses, is how most of them have come. Half of those six have come in the first round by quick knockout. He was dominated in the submission loss to Daniel Cormier as well.
The thing keeping Henderson holding on is his two flash knockouts against Shogun Rua and Tim Boetsch during that stretch as well.
Henderson, once known for having a tough chin, has known become known for having a glass chin and someone who has taken far too many shots. I would look for Hector Lombard to send him into retirement Saturday night with a thunderous knockout.
Other fights on the card that should hold some interest are
Featherweight Brian Ortega
vs. Clay Guida
Lightweight Beneil Dariush
vs. James Vick
Women’s Strawweight Jessica Penne
vs. Jessica Andrade
Featherweight Cole Miller
vs. Alex Caceres
Lightweight Dustin Poirier
vs. Bobby Green
Featherweight Max Holloway
vs. Ricardo Lamas
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