Michael “The Count” Bisping retained his middleweight crown after a hard fought unanimous decision win over Dan “Dangerous” Henderson in the Manchester Arena, England.
It was a fight Bisping just couldn’t afford to lose, and that’s what he did, by a hairline margin. Both mixed martial arts legends produced a performance of staggering brilliance that would be remembered for years.
However, It was nothing short of a miraculous victory for the Brit, as he survived two brutal knockdowns in the first couple of rounds after Hendo cleanly landed his signature ‘H-Bomb’ on the 37-year-old’s chin, twice, at the end of the 1st round, and then in the 2nd. After the knockdowns, Hendo was all over the world champion, landed blows left, right and center, but the Champ was in no mood to surrender and showed the heart of a lion by surviving the onslaught, something any lesser fighter would have succumbed to in seconds, and then came back strongly in last three rounds to defeat his opponent. At the end it was too close to call and the decision went Michael’s way.
When the fight started, it was almost like déjà vu for Bisping. Remember when Hendo KO’d out Bisping more than 7 years ago at UFC 100 with an explosive right hand. Each time it landed, Henderson smiled. However, this time losing was not an option for the Champ. Despite his face being badly cut, bruised with a heavily swollen eye, Bisping managed to stay in the fight.
In the post-fight interview, Bisping said: “This man is incredible. He just kicked my a**. All the trash talking, you gotta respect that guy, he’s a legend.”
After the fight the-46-year-old legend confirmed his retirement plans and said: “This is the last time that anyone will see me fight live. I appreciate all of the support throughout the years. I gave my heart and soul into this sport and fans like you made it worthwhile to compete every night. This was my last for the belt. I came up a little short but not bad for an old man.”
The three judges scored the fight unanimously 48-47, 48-47 & 49-46 in favor of the home turf fighter and reigning champion. Before the official announcement both men raised their hands at the end of the fight, and deservingly so. It’s a shame one had to be at the losing end, this time it was Dan Henderson.
Dan Henderson fought a much younger, prime Bisping and he fought well. If this fight taught us anything, it is that Michael Bisping has an unbreakable will that even TWO H-Bombs couldn’t phase.
If we say nobody deserved to lose this fight to render it a draw, it would be a fair assessment.
