UFC 204 played host to some outstanding performances from Michael Bisping, Gegard Mousasi, Jimi Manuwa, and others. It was an entertaining night (or morning) of fights that leaves a lot to discuss in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, we don’t have another event until November because UFC: Manila was cancelled. So, let’s take a look at a couple performances from UFC 204…
Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson II
We’re almost guaranteed some dramatic action any time Michael Bisping or Dan Henderson enter the Octagon. Bisping’s resilience and durability allows him to weather incredible storms, and Henderson’s H-Bomb is a weapon that is relevant at all times. Unfortunately, Henderson didn’t seem like he was expecting a 25-minute fight, and fell behind on the scorecards. He landed the overhand right in rounds one and two, but unfortunately couldn’t put the nail in the coffin. Bisping did what he needed to do to out-score Henderson the rest of the fight with a consistent output of precise long-range striking.
I wouldn’t call it a very impressive performance by Bisping though; the same tendencies that got him KO’d in the first fight were prevalent in the second fight. Bisping’s jab was a key weapon for him throughout the fight, but it also got him into trouble. He was predictable with it when he had Henderson backed up, and paid dearly.
After throwing the jabbing with his lead hand, he failed to retract it back to protect his head. This gave Henderson’s overhand right a clear path to Bisping’s chin. This seems like a problem that Bisping’s camp should have been able to figure out. Bisping seemed a bit too antsy against Henderson, and likely disregarded some defensive strategy.
I liked seeing a heavy kicking attack by Bisping though. His lead leg high kick looked to exploit Henderson’s tendency of leaning to his right – something Vitor Belfort was able to do against Henderson too. On the flipside, Henderson looked about as good as he ever. The 46 year old obviously wasn’t going to out-pace Bisping, so he played a calculated, patient game. He successfully drew an over-zealous Bisping into range, and landed some big right hands. While he didn’t do enough for the decision, he surprised me by turning it on in the fifth round.
Next for Michael Bisping?
I’m curious to see who Bisping faces next. Chris Weidman meets Yoel Romero at UFC 205, and Luke Rockhold battles ‘Jacare’ Souza two weeks later in Australia. All four of these fighters are ranked rather equally, so whoever wins more impressively can expect to face Bisping next. I’d favor any of these four fighters over Bisping as he nearly lost to the #13 ranked middleweight contender.
However, there’s another fighter who deserves some talk – Gegard Mousasi.
Gegard Mousasi vs Vitor Belfort
In UFC 204’s co-main event, Gegard Mousasi obliterated Vitor Belfort with a second-round TKO. From the beginning, Mousasi relied on his traditional “move forward but look to counter” strategy. I highlighted this in my preview for the fight, knowing it would be prevalent. Belfort looked to sit back and time his patented blitz of punches, but Mousasi’s control of range nullified this.
On the attack, Mousasi established a steady, consistent jab. He used it to back Belfort up against the cage, and waited until the opportune time to go for the kill. Eventually, it was a right head kick that rocked Belfort and prompted a flurry from Mousasi.
This sequence allowed him to take Belfort down and continue his onslaught from the mount. In my preview, I highlighted how Mousasi would have an easy fight if he got Belfort on the ground. Mousasi’s ground and pound is some of the best in the business.
Next for Gegard Mousasi?
In his post-fight press conference, Gegard Mousasi named a couple fighters that he could see himself getting next. Even though a top 5 opponent is fair, it’s not realistic. One of the fighters he would like is Uriah Hall, who upset Mousasi about a year ago. Mousasi calls that loss a fluke, and wants revenge. However, Hall is on a two-fight losing streak, and will get an unranked opponent.
The other fighter Gegard Mousasi sees himself fighting next is Anderson Silva. This has been a match up I have wanted to see for years. With Silva on the downfall of his career, he may be exclusively looking for high-profile match ups. This may not be what the UFC wants to do, but it’s a fight that makes sense.
Other than Uriah Hall and Anderson Silva, the only other top 10 middleweights are Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson. Unfortunately, they are booked against each other.
