After a quiet couple of weeks, mixed martial arts returns with a strong UFC 199 pay-per-view card from the Forum (former home of the Los Angeles Lakers) in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday night. It’s headlined by a bout between middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and contender Michael Bisping in a rematch. Oddsmakers aren’t confident this will be all that close as Rockhold is -1100 on sports betting lines with Bisping at +700. The over/under for how many rounds it lasts is just 1.5, with the under at -115.
An Inside Analysis on the UFC 199 Rockhold vs. Bisping 2 Fight Betting Preview
This was to be a much better matchup between Rockhold and former champion Chris Weidman. But Weidman had to pull out two weeks ago with a neck injury. Weidman said that he did not want to pull out of the fight, but he found out that he has a “large extrusion herniation” in his neck and will need surgery. Weidman said that he initially thought that an epidural would alleviate his symptoms and allow him to fight, but the injection did not solve the problem.
So Bisping stepped in on short notice and that rarely works out well. UFC president Dana White admitted that the fighter who was first in line to replace Weidman was Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who looked stellar in beating Vitor Belfort at UFC 198 in his native Brazil. But White said that Souza suffered a torn meniscus during the fight.
Bisping (28-7) is a 37-year-old from England. He was last in the Octagon on Feb. 27 and upset all-time great Anderson Silva in a unanimous decision in London. All three judges scored the fight for Bisping, 48-47. Silva (33-7), who was fighting for the first time since January 2015 due to a one-year drug suspension, stated he felt he won the fight. Some agreed with him. It was Bisping’s third straight win.
Rockhold (15-2), a 31-year-old American, has won five straight since a defeat to Vitor Belfort on July 2012. Rockhold last fought in December of last year and beat Weidman by fourth-round TKO. Rockhold left Weidman bloodied and bruised as he ripped away his UFC middleweight title in dramatic fashion. After a close first round, the challenger gained the upper hand in the second and was within seconds of winning in the third. The fight was allowed to continue but Rockhold kept his composure to finish the job and inflict a first career defeat on his opponent. Rockhold came into the UFC as the former Strikeforce champion but lost to Belfort in his debut with the promotion.
Bisping’s last loss was to Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 55 in November 2014 in Australia, with Rockhold taking the victory by second-round submission (guillotine choke). Rockhold dominated “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner, as he walked down Bisping and ravaged his body and arms with a steady diet of heavy kicks during a one-sided first round. In the second, Rockhold wobbled and dropped the Brit with a head kick and followed with a quick volley of standing-to-ground punches before jumping on the guillotine. Bisping, who had never before been submitted, conceded defeat 57 seconds into Round 2.
Expert Betting Prediction
Take Rockhold on betting odds, but I’d go over that round total. He’ll finish by submission in Round 3 this time.
