It’s official.
One of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history will officially be contested for the middleweight title after both Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson successfully made the 185lbs championship limit at the early weigh-ins in Manchester this afternoon.
Champion Bisping hosts ‘Hendo’ in the Manchester Arena in the wee hours of Sunday morning in the hope of avenging the brutal knockout to which he fell victim at UFC 100 seven years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWCsSTQFIA8
That narrative allowed Henderson to leapfrog a number of arguably more worthy contenders when he received an unlikely title shot against ‘The Count’.
Bisping will be defending his belt for the first time, just four months after shocking the world with his knockout of rival Luke Rockhold, and he will do with his hometown crowd roaring him on.
Henderson has made it clear that win or lose, this will be the last time he takes to the Octagon and the 46-year-old is relishing the prospect of bowing out of the sport at which he attained legend status by claiming UFC gold for the first time.
He has an uphill task ahead of him though as Bisping holds an 18-0 record on British soil and he will do everything in his power to avoid seeing that zero disappear in his own back garden.
And now that the weigh-ins are over, the “weigh-ins” are just around the corner.
- Michael Bisping (185lbs) vs. Dan Henderson (184lbs)
- Vitor Belfort (186lbs) vs. Gegard Mousasi (185lbs)
- Jimi Manuwa (205lbs) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (205lbs)
- Daniel Omielanczuk (239lbs) vs. Stefan Struve (265lbs)
- Mirsad Bektic (144lbs) vs. Russell Doane (145lbs)
- Iuri Alcantara () vs. Brad Pickett (136lbs)
- Ian Entwistle () vs. Rob Font ()
- Davey Grant () vs. Damian Stasiak (135lbs)
- Leon Edwards (169lbs) vs. Albert Tumenov (169lbs)
- Mike Perry (170lbs) vs. Danny Roberts ()
- Adriano Martins (155lbs) vs. Leonardo Santos (156lbs)
- Marc Diakiese (156lbs) vs. Lukasz Sajewski ()
