UFC Fight Night 55 results: Luke Rockhold taps Michael Bisping with one-armed guillotine

SYDNEY – Luke Rockhold (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) beat Michael Bisping (25-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) on the feet, then finished him on the floor, dropping the British fighter with help from several well-placed head kicks and then locking up a one-armed guillotine from mount to force the submission at 0:57 of Round 2.

The middleweight bout was the main event of today’s UFC Fight Night55 event at Allphones Arena in Sydney. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

After a tentative start to the fight, Rockhold starting finding success with his kicks midway through the opening frame. As the taller, lankier fighter, he was able to tenderize Bisping’s ribs and things with kicks from a distance, leaving Bisping looking unsure of how to get inside and reclaim the offensive.

Between rounds, as Bisping’s corner worked to close a pre-existing cut that came open during an inadvertent clash of heads, Rockhold’s corner implored him to use even more kicks. It turned out to be a winning strategy, as the former Strikeforce middleweight champ began to mix in deceptive kicks to the head, one of which sent Bisping wobbling backward early in the round.

Rockhold wasted no time pouncing on a downed Bisping with follow-up strikes, but as Bisping scrambled to get to his feet, Rockhold snatched a guillotine choke and then used it to roll into mount. With the choke secured by one arm, Rockhold was free to use the other to arch into the choke, giving him a few extra style points as he forced his rival to tap with one arm.

After the fight, Rockhold was quick to claim a position atop the ladder of middleweight contenders, even tossing out some words for former opponent and would-be title challenger Ronaldo Souza.

“All respect to ‘Jacare’ (Souza), but I’ll beat you again,” said Rockhold, who won a unanimous decision over ‘Jacare’ in 2011 to take the Strikeforce title. “I’m the No. 1 contender, and I’ll prove it any time I have to.”

Neither fighter was willing to completely let go of a heated rivalry with the fight now concluded, though Rockhold was quick to help Bisping up and offer his respect. Bisping, while not quite embracing Rockhold as a new best friend, made sure to let fans know that he wasn’t finished hunting for the top spot in the 185-pound class, despite this costly setback.

“I’m going nowhere,” Bisping said. “Don’t you forget it.”

With the victory, Rockhold has now won three straight, and has to be considered a fighter on the short list of potential challengers for the winner of the middleweight title bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort in February. Bisping has now lost two of his last three.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 55 results include:

• Luke Rockhold def. Michael Bisping via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 0:57
• Al Iaquinta def. Ross Pearson via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:39
• Robert Whittaker def. Clint Hester via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:43
• Soa Palelei def. Walt Harris via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:49
• Jake Matthews def. Vagner Rocha via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:52
• Anthony Perosh def. Guto Inocente via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:46
• Sam Alvey def. Dylan Andrews via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:16
• Louis Smolka def. Richie Vaculik via TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 3, 0:18
• Chris Clements def. Vik Grujic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:06
• Daniel Kelly def Luke Zachrich via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 4:27
• Marcus Brimage def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 2:58

For complete coverage of UFC 179, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie correspondent Michael Spencer contributed to this report on site in Sydney.)