A rowdy rematch and tantalizing trilogy! My UFC 199 Preview.

Although its main card features several highly anticipated bouts, the pinnacle of UFC 199 is the next chapter of an ongoing feud as newly crowned middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, aims to insulate his gold against seasoned UFC veteran, Michael Bisping.

"We trained (together) before, and I made mincemeat out of him." The controversial statement boldly made by Michael "The Count" Bisping, prior to his first fight with Luke Rockhold, which caused a contentious issue between the middleweight greats. As the two are unexpectedly set to square off for the second time this weekend, the stakes have certainly been raised as Bisping is finally awarded his long awaited first UFC title shot, and Rockhold is seeking to defend his title for the first time since becoming middleweight champion last December.

Rockhold and Bisping face off ahead of their title fight.
Credit: MMAJunkie

Although both Rockhold and Bisping respect each other’s technical abilities inside the octagon, the pairs strident feelings towards one and other have certainly not shifted in any means. With over five hours of fight-time and the most significant strikes landed in UFC history, Bisping believes it is now his "destiny" to go on and claim his first ever UFC title, whereas Rockhold on the other hand believes it's Bisping's destiny to "be his little bitch." Commonly known for his high punching volume and constant endurance, a two week training camp has made Bisping aware of the fact that if the fight does go five rounds, he will "slow down." A contrast to many of his previous bouts, Bisping has stated he will be looking for the first round finish, something in which he has not achieved since UFC 85 back in 2008.

For Bisping and the world of UFC, this title shot came around in a way which most never expected. Originally, it was former middleweight champion Chris Weidman who was expected to face Rockhold in yet again another rematch, as Weidman looked to recoup his middleweight belt in which he lost to Rockhold at UFC 194. However, a freak neck injury forced Weidman to withdraw from the rematch with the only man who put a loss on his MMA record, and it is now Michael Bisping who is in the crosshairs of Luke Rockhold.

Moving on to a feud which has lasted almost a decade. Two Californian boys with a lengthy history behind them attempt to settle the scores this Saturday night, in what promises to be an epic trilogy to an enraged rivalry, when top tier bantamweights Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber meet again inside the octagon.  

Cruz will be looking to emulate his previous performance, in which he claimed UFC gold after returning from a two-year layoff to beat TJ Dillashaw via split decision in January. With Dillashaw only landing a mere 26% of his significant strikes in that fight, Cruz feels he will make Faber miss even more as his "over hand-rights and guillotine chokes" are predictable to say the least. For Faber, an unconvincing win at UFC 194 over Frankie Saenz has not left him short of confidence coming in to this title fight. "I'm a get the strap" Faber said positively at the UFC 199 media day. 

Standing at one a piece, there are no arguments made to Urijah's submission win over Cruz in the first fight. However, Faber feels the second fight in which Cruz won via unanimous decision at UFC 132, was not as one-sided as the result shows. "Even Dana said I won that fight" Faber protested when talking to Ariel Helwani on Tuesday's 'The MMA Hour.' Previous results aside, both Cruz and Faber will be looking to put on a powerful performance in order to gain bragging rights and put a marker on the feud for once and for all.

A heated exchange between Dustin Poirier and Bobby Green
Credit: MMAJunkie

The Forum in Inglewood hosts a myriad of other magnificent match-ups on the main card of UFC 199 this Saturday night. Cuban knock-out artist Hector Lombard makes his middleweight debut as he takes veteran and future hall of famer Dan Henderson. A heated match-up at lightweight occurs when Bobby Green, who returns from almost two years out, hopes to put an end to Dustin Poirier’s winning streak at 155. All in all, this UFC 199 card has some great match-ups from top to bottom. Could we see two new UFC champions crowned on the night? Or will Cruz and Rockhold begin their triumphs as kings of their divisions?

 UFC 194: In Pictures

Conor McGregor embracing his travelling Irish fans before his title fight.

Jose Aldo pacing his way to the octagon to defend his belt.

The devastating, precise left hand from McGregor which handed Aldo his first loss in 10 years.

The notorious is victorious.

The now former champ Aldo is left heartbroken from losing his belt in just 13 seconds.

Luke Rockhold landing some brutal ground and pound, in his title fight with Chris Weidman.

Referee Herb Dean comes to Weidman's rescue, and Rockhold is crowned the new 185-pound champion. 

Rockhold poses with his training partners, including the current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier.

Yoel "Soldier of God" Romero delivers some shots on the ground to Jacare Souza.

Much to Jacare's disappointment, Soldier of God celebrates a split decision victory.

BJJ veteran Demian Maia embraces a battered Gunnar Nelson after a dominant performance.

Hawaiian native Max Holloway proudly raises his states colours after his win over Jeremy Stephens.

All pictures were sourced from: http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/12/12/10014696/ufc-194-photos#5245547

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.

UFC 194 Main Event: McGregor finishes Aldo in just 13 seconds.

Capitalise. A 'strong' word frequently used by the notorious one throughout his training camp prior to facing Chad back in July. Capitalise on everything. That word is the perfect scenario for what unfolded last night. An overextended left hand from Aldo, capitalised on by McGregor securing him unified 145-pound gold in just 13 seconds, breaking the record previously set by Ronda Rousey for the fastest finish in title fight history. Mind-blowing. The shockingly surreal situation has still not yet sunk in for most UFC fans, but for McGregor, it really wasn't much of a surprise. "I feel him over reacting, over extending, and then being KO’d unconscious. " Conor said in a interview with Gareth A Davies prior to his victorious triumph. This was something McGregor expected, maybe not as early as it occurred in the fight, but it was still what Conor anticipated.

Jose Aldo was clearly heartbroken after being defeated.

It was no surprise that it was the left hand of Conor which ultimately ended the fight. After dropping a couple of hammerfists on the downed Aldo to ensure the task was completed, the travelling Irish crowd was once again sent berserk, deafening the MGM Grand Garden Area with roars of joy as their countryman had once again fulfilled their wishes. McGregor, who was humble in victory, had the up-most respect for Aldo in his post-fight interview. "I feel for Jose, he was a phenomenal champion" Conor said as the deflated Aldo sat distraught on his stool, holding back the tears and trying to come to terms with what had just occurred. 8 consecutive title defences and a legacy of being undefeated for 10 years had just seemed to all crash down and Aldo in that very moment.

So what next? McGregor has already stated that he is extremely keen on moving up to 155, and becoming a 'duo-weight champion.' UFC President Dana White has already stated that if Conor does move up to lightweight, he will fight the winner of Saturday's title fight between Rafael Dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone. However, that does not mean McGregor has any plans to vacate the belt he has just won. With Frankie Edgar coming off an extremely impressive knockout win over Chad Mendes, that may just be enough to keep Mystic Mac at 145 for another fight, even though his coach John Kavanagh has said the weight cut is just 'too much.'

McGregor celebrating the unification of his belt.

For Aldo, he has stated that he wants a rematch, and he will be "better prepared to reclaim what is mine." This may not be the case though due to Edgar's win, as it will most likely shape up to be Frankie that will next fight Conor if he stays at 145. Aldo will certainly need some time off to recover after last night, and even when he is fight again he may have to work his way back up the rankings in order to gain another title shot. Calls of Aldo vs. Mendes 3 have already beckoned, as well as Aldo vs. Holloway. For Mystic-Mac however, the talk continues, and the walk backs it up.

UFC 194 Main Event Preview

Saturday, December 12th, 2015. Arguably the most 'stacked' main card in UFC history, just edging UFC 100, records are set to broken as three outstanding match ups are followed by two tantalizing title fights.

Main Event: Aldo vs. McGregor

Scarface. The Notorious One. A match-up which all UFC fans have been so highly anticipating since McGregor's sudden breakthrough into the sport, this fight is certainly going to bring in some 'numbers' as McGregor would say. The endless press conferences, interviews and tense social media interactions has created a hyper like no other for this fight. Could we finally see a new featherweight champion in the sport? Will the "McGregor train" come crashing down like Rousey's? Who knows. 

McGregor's kicks played a huge part in his victory at UFC 189.

For the unorthodox McGregor, confidence has been his greatest asset going into any of his fights. But everyone knows that, so let's take an in depth look at some of McGregor's effective weapons which could secure him unified gold. Distance and cage control. Conor utilizes footwork outstandingly to pressure his opponents to the cage, just look at his last fight against Mendes. A myriad of unorthodox kicks were used from the outside, so he could not be hit. Like his last fight, McGregor will have a reach advantage on his opponent. Although not as great as his advantage with Chad, he still has a 4" advantage on Jose and this potentially means his kicks from the outside could be just as deadly as they were on July 11th.

Although being smaller and having less reach than McGregor, Aldo still has a bucketful of weapons coming into this bout. One of his most effective being his impeccable muay thai, and lighting quick hands. He leads mostly with jabs and straights from the outside, setting up 1-2s to keep his opponent at a distance, but at the same time setting himself up for combinations. Jose's leaping right hand could be the perfect counter for McGregor's lunging straight left, as the lunge may shift him off balance allowing Aldo to throw the right hand.

This title fight is inevitably one you can't miss. Although he is undefeated in 10 years, it is Aldo who is the underdog coming into this fight. McGregor recently said he predicts a KO inside four minutes, and sees Jose overreacting, over-extending at every move he makes. Are we to doubt him? As he says "he hasn't been wrong yet."