UFC 204 results: Michael Bisping beats Dan Henderson to defend middleweight title
The heart and mind of a champion is never given to a fighter — it is earned -and Michael Bisping proved his journey is a remarkable one once more when he gained revenge against his nemesis Dan Henderson in Manchester at UFC 204 to retain the UFC world middleweight crown at 185 lbs.
Henderson had knocked Bisping out clean at UFC 100 seven years ago, the hammer of a right hand which ‘Hendo’ possesses having accounted for so many great fighters in a legendary two-decade career at the top level.
A wall of noise greeted to two great fighter’s arrivals into the Octagon.
It was harem-scarem fight once more though as Bisping was dropped in both the first and second rounds by that dangerous right had before coming back into the fight with his face broken to secure the middleweight title in an enthralling encounter at the Manchester Arena in the early hours of Sunday morning witnessed by 18,000 spectators.
The Mancunian had to summon all his focus, picking off Henderson to earn a unanimous decision from the judges – 48-47 48-47 49-46. I scored it 48-47, with BIsping needing to win the fifth five-minute stanza to keep his crown.
This was Bisping’s 20th win – more than any other man in the promotion’s history – as the 37-year-old elevated himself to a place among the sport’s all-time greats, and as the pathfinder for this sport in Europe.
Bisping called on the partisan support to “applaud the legend Dan Henderson” before calling out former UFC middleweight champions Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold.
Bisping, who lives in California, also thanked his fans saying that their “support melts” his heart, and that it meant everything to him to defend the bet in front of a home crowd. Bisping was the first British fighter to win a UFC world title and by defending the crown, he continues to set new marks.
Just before the main event, Dutchman Gegard Mousasi put himself in the frame for as shot at Bisping with a fine second round stoppage over Vitor Belfort,
“That Bisping we saw tonight – I would jab his face off,” said Mousasi. “But I’ll be patient for my opportunity.”
But nothing can take away from Bisping on a night when he covered himself in glory once more. In 2016, the Lancastrian has claimed the UFC crown, defended it, and beaten two ‘greats’ of the sport in Henderson and Anderson Silva. It really does not get much better than that.