by Chris Asbrock

The UFC delivered a bit of news in and out of the octagon Saturday night. Once again, the UFC came through and provided a solid night of fights from top to bottom. Even with the injuries that forced a few fighters off the card, this was one of the more memorable cards. In the last few weeks, which are leading up to UFC 200 next month, fans have seen some incredible fights and titles changing hands. Some fighters have tossed their names into the championship discussion. Tossed into the mix were the events from Saturday night. With that being the case, lets take a look a few talking points coming from Saturday nights UFC 199 event.

1. Michael Bisping continues to surprise

Bisping, took this fight on just 17 days notice and stunned the world by knocking out the champion, Luke Rockhold in the first round. Bisping had won three straight fights heading into Saturday nights main event and was not given much of a chance, due to the fact Rockhold had defeated him once before and the short camp.You could tell Rockhold didn’t seem to take this fight too serious and it bit him in the ass and cost him his title. All credit to Bisping as he took advantage of a situation and ran with it, culminating with a championship that has been over 10 years in the making.

With each man holding a victory over the other, a rematch would be fitting coming up in the next few months. However, with the Middleweight division as loaded as it is, Dana White and the UFC have many different directions they can head. Imagine Dan Henderson, who looked awesome in his win over Hector Lombard, going after the title and Bisping. One thing is certain, when you think you can count Bisping out, he will surprise you.


 
2. UFC 200 will be biggest ever

News traveled fast after the initial report from Ariel Helwani regarding the return of Brock Lesnar at UFC 200. The UFC confirmed the return during a fantastic UFC 200 promo that featured Lesnar at the very end. It was just announced today on ESPN that Lesnar will be facing Mark Hunt. Even without Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey on this card, this will certainly be the biggest UFC PPV in their history. There are three titles up for grabs and now the addition of one of the sports biggest attractions, Lesnar, this will certainly be their biggest pay-per-view event.

Even with the injuries and the faux retirement of McGregor, everything lined up perfectly for the UFC. Now UFC 200 features Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, Lesnar, Hunt, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne. That’s not including the other seven fights that are included on this card too. Expect big numbers coming out of this event and the momentum will carry the UFC for the rest of the year and into 2017.

3. UFC maintains reputation of being a thin skinned organization

Even though cooler heads have prevailed, the actions of the UFC towards noted journalist Ariel Helwani and a few others, clouded what was an incredible night of fights. The UFC has always been known to be a petty organization when it comes to its treatment of the media. Helwani, was escorted out of the arena just before the Bisping/Rockhold main event by UFC personnel and had his credentials pulled, with White telling him that he was banned for life. This was a result of Helwani reporting the Lesnar return and the McGregor/Diaz rematch at UFC 202 earlier in the day. Let us make it clear that Helwani did nothing wrong and reported the news.

This is not the first incident like this for the UFC and some journalists. The UFC has long been wanting a spot in the mainstream sports landscape and banning media because a reporter did his or her job and reported a fight, does nothing but shed a very dark light on an organization. The UFC will never make it into the mainstream sports landscape if they continue to be petty and childish, if a well-respected journalist spoils their surprise. It was announced last night that Helwani has had his credentials reissued and his ban has been rescinded. Helwani is certainly the best in the business and we should all look forward to his work in the future.

Post fight press conference highlights:

Full UFC 199 Fight Card results:

Michael Bisping def. Luke Rockhold to win middleweight title knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:36    

Dominick Cruz def. Urijah Faber to retain bantamweight title unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – Round 5, 5:00  
Max Holloway def. Ricardo Lamas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00  
Dan Henderson def. Hector Lombard via knockout (kick, elbows) – Round 2, 1:27  
Dustin Poirier def. Bobby Green via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:53  
Brian Ortega def. Clay Guida via TKO (flying knee) – Round 3, 4:40  
Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:16  
Jessica Andrade def. Jessica Penne via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:56  
Alex Caceres def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00  
Sean Strickland def. Tom Breese via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – Round 3, 5:00  
Luis Henrique da Silva def. Jonathan Wilson via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:11  
Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic declared split draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28) – Round 3, 5:00  
Polo Reyes def. “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 1:52

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on Twitter  and