UFC 194: Luke Rockhold ends Chris Weidman's reign to claim Middleweight gold.

Luke Rockhold was "surprised" referee Herb Dean didn't come to Weidman's rescue at the end of round 3, and so were most people watching.

Rockhold's Rejoice.

Luke Rockhold is on cloud nine. He has proved all his doubters wrong, and has finally showed his huge skillset to the world of fight fans. Not to mention that he scooped up the 185-pound belt in the process. The nasty infection of cellulitis couldn't even disturb him from coming into this overwhelming opportunity. Now let's not be silly here. When the name Chris Weidman comes to mind, you instantly think of his outstanding wrestling ability, gritty determination and strong mind-set. Not wheel kicks. Ultimately the downfall of his own performance, the wheel-kick that Weidman threw in that third round was the cause of an onslaught of ruthless ground and pound that Rockhold was about to inflict on the former champ. Not to say that if that lethargic kick wouldn't have been attempted by Weidman that Rockhold wouldn't have put an end to Weidman's unbeaten streak, but it certainly helped.

Rockhold's vicious strikes which almost finished the fight.

New champs and fights to make.

Rockhold now joins Werdum, Lawler and Cormier as former Strikeforce fighters who currently claim UFC gold. In addition to this, the triumphs of Rockhold and McGregor on Saturday night mean there has now been seven new UFC champions across all weight classes in the year of 2015. Who'd have predicted that? And if you did, I bet it was certainly not in the fashion that it occurred. 

So what next? What fights can we put together from this shockingly surreal co-main event at UFC 194? Well, with Yoel Romero winning an extremely tight split decision over Jacare Souza prior to the co-main event of 194, calls all already beckoning for Rockhold vs. Romero in the first quarter of 2016. However, it may not be that simple, as the most recent man to beat Rockhold, Vitor Belfort, has already called him out on Instagram saying "you're still spinning" from Rockhold's 2013 KO loss to Belfort. For Weidman however, an instant rematch against Rockhold is not the case. Being thoroughly outclassed by Rockhold means Weidman will most likely have to fight the likes of Jacare Souza, or maybe even Tim Kennedy before earning another title shot. Rumours were occuring that Weidman had broken his foot in his bout with Rockhold on Saturday, but the x-rays were negative. So like Rockhold, he could potentially fight again in the first quarter of 2016. The unpredictability of the middleweight division just seems to continue in the UFC.

Rockhold embraces his emphatic win, whilst Weidman is left devastated.