UFC Fight Night 55: Rockhold vs. Bisping live results, play by play and discussion

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live fight results, in-depth play by play and discussion as the UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping event transpires on UFC Fight Pass from Sydney, Australia.

A pivotal middleweight bout pitting Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping captains the show while lightweights Al Iaquinta and Ross Pearson fill the co-main role. Also in action: savvy boxer Robert Whittaker moves up a weight class to face bruiser Clint Hester in a middleweight bout while heavyweights Walt Harris and Soa Palelei touch off the four-fight main card. The full lineup with start times follows below.

UFC Fight Night 55

Main Card
(UFC Fight Pass at 10:00 p.m. ET)

Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping

R1: Bisping backs Rockhold off with a few quick flurries. Rockhold walking Bisping down but he’s yet to pull the trigger a minute in. A retreating right hook counter is his first offering, and Bisping dodges it while flitting in and out with straight punches. Rockhold changes levels on his entry and it causes an accidental head-butt — Bisping notifies Herb Dean and he shows a cut over his right eye on the pause. After a little bickering from Bisping, they’re restarted in the 50/50 clinch and “The Count” circles off and resets in the center.

Outside low kick for Rockhold. Bisping tries to catch Rockhold’s left body kick but can’t. Rockhold lands a left cross and drags his head off-center to avoid Bisping’s counter. Bisping throwing high and low roundhouse kicks from outside. Bisping again can’t catch Rockhold’s kick but fires an inside low kick. Bisping pressures Rockhold with punches and Rockhold responds with another left body kick. Left cross for Rockhold and a left high kick that’s blocked. Inside low kick for Rockhold. Right cross and outside low kick are there for Bisping, as well as a leaping outside low kick before the horn sounds. 10-10 for no discernible advantage.

R2: Bisping charges with a wild combo and gets tagged with a left cross on the next exchange. Question mark kick from Rockhold on the right side, and he thwacks Bisping with a left high kick immediately after, striking in clever opposites. The shin bounces off Bisping’s forehead and he goes down, and Rockhold fluidly transitions from the front headlock into a guillotine sweep, rolling into mount and forcing the tapout with a one-arm guillotine.

Al Iaquinta vs. Ross Pearson

R1: Iaquinta starts off with a side kick, then nearly catches Pearson on the chin with a front kick. Iaquinta circles away from a Pearson right but eats an uppercut on the reset. They land mutual rights on the next exchange. Inside low kick for Pearson. Iaquinta blocks Pearson’s left high kick. Pearson catches Iaquinta’s kick but can’t capitalize. Pearson jabbing effectively from the fringe.

Iaquinta darts in and grazes Pearson with a lunging right. Pearson’s lead left hook is blocked but he scores with an inside low kick. Iaquinta lands an uppercut but Pearson answers right back. Iaquinta’s hands are dangerously low betwixt excanges but he’s making up for it with a snapping lead jab and hook. Quick right sneaks through for Iaquinta, who blocks Pearson’s heavy left high kick. 10-10 round for equally effective offense.

R2: Pearson starts with an inside low kick. Iaquinta fires off a low kick and a medley of crisp punches. Both land in an equal exchange but Iaquinta flattens Pearson with a clean right cross in the next. Pearson pops backs up but he’s out of sorts and Iaquinta peels off a devastating volley of punches to finish him off.

Clint Hester vs. Robert Whittaker

R1: Whittaker gets jolted with a clubbing right hand right out of the gate. Then a step-in left cracks home for Hester, who wings a right hand and dives for an out-of-range takedown. Whittaker underhooks and circles off the fence, then dings Hester with a clean left. Hester throwing big and wide while Whittaker looks for tight, straight counters. Hester walks Whittaker into a corner and wheels for a spinning back fist that connects thunderously, yet Whittaker amazingly shakes it off like a champ.

Whittaker checks Hester’s low kick, lands one of his own and then plasters him with a follow-up right cross. Hester goes down and Whittaker pounces, nailing him with a right hand while diving after him to the floor. Hester gradually regains his composure and forces a brief stalemate with underhooks until Whittaker takes him back down. Whittaker pinches the legs together and passes to mount but, showing serious athleticism, Hester power bridges out of mount and slings a few boulders from on top. 10-9 Whittaker for the knockdown in a competitive round.

R2: Hester steps in with a horizontal elbow and Whittaker dodges it to counter beautifully with a right. Whittaker explodes after Hester with more punches and Hester responds to the aggressive flurry by planting his feet and launching a series of monstrous heaters. Whittaker is forced to cover up and Hester stays on the trigger with more punches, then lands a knee from the double collar tie. Whittaker buzzes in with quick jabs after resetting himself in the center.

They clinch up and Hester spears a left knee to the body after clearing space with wrist control. Hester fires a knee to the thigh and transitions to the single leg but Whittaker backpedals out of it with great balance and footwork. Whittaker follows a no-hands knee with a boring right cross and it puts Hester on roller-skates — Whittaker shellacks him with another knee before loosening a finishing salvo of punches.

Walt Harris vs. Soa Palelei

R1: Palelei commits to a takedown a half-minute in and, after a prolonged struggle, Harris breaks free and restarts in the center of the cage. Probing jab from Harris, who’s keeping a low stance in anticipation of Palelei’s takedown attempt. And it pays off, as Harris double under-hooks his way out of another double leg. This time Harris sits down on a one-two and flings a high kick on the restart.

Palelei blocks a high kick but isn’t offering much on the feet offensively. Harris clips him with a short, straight left cross. Rear-leg teep for Harris from out on the fringe. Palelei has a high kick blocked. Inside low kick from Harris, then a nasty left roundhouse that thuds to the ribs. Harris controls distance with a double jab. 10-9 Harris.

R2: Palelei with a front kick. Harris connects lightly with an inside low kick and Palelei chops into Harris’ leg with one of his own in response. Palelei lands a right cross but gets sloppy on his entry and can’t find his single-leg attempt. Harris lands a left roundhouse kick to the ribs but Palelei puts some leather in his face on the next exchange.

Easy stuff for Harris when Palelei telegraphs a right hand to set up a takedown. Snapping jab from Harris, who blocks Palelei’s high kick. Palelei tries to duck under Harris’ left cross and gets a single leg after resetting his angle. Palelei in half guard with one minute left, looking for a mount pass. And he gets it. Palelei unloads with a few rights that put Harris into panic mode and he switches to a series of hammer-fists to coax the stoppage.

Preliminary Card Results

Jake Matthews vs. Vagner Rocha

R1: No dice on Rocha’s outside low kick, but his stiff counter jab lands a moment later. Matthews wades in with an uppercut and an overhand, both miss. Two outside low kicks are there for Matthews, who then backs Rocha off with a one-two. Another outside low kick for Rocha. Matthews answers with one of his own. Matthews hops forward with a giant right hand and it either stuns Rocha or he slips.

Back in open space, Matthews snaps Rocha’s head back with a right cross. Matthews head-hunting relentlessly with big, heavy combinations and outside low kicks, and he just misses with an uppercut-hook combo. Rocha clinches and puts him on the fence but Matthews moves him back by heaving a one-two. We pause briefly for an accidental low blow to Rocha, who gets tagged by a retreating right hook counter while charging in. Matthews gets a double-leg takedown but dangerously fights his way out of a kimura to close the frame. 10-9 Matthews.

R2: Matthews starts off by digging an outside low kick to the thigh. Matthews sits down on another scorching one-two that draws oohs from the crowd despite not landing clean. Matthews just heaving concrete-laden salvos with both hands anytime Rocha steps into his wheelhouse. Superman punch from Matthews and it looks to rock Rocha, who wilts under Matthews’s bull-rush takedown. Rocha tries to sit out but Matthews locks up a no-hooks rear-naked choke and forces the BJJ black belt to cry uncle.

• Jake Matthews defeats Vagner Rocha by technical submission (rear-naked choke) R2 1:52

Guto Inocente vs. Anthony Perosh

R1: Perosh lunges in with a right and blocks a big right high kick from Inocente. Perosh steps in with another right and lands it just as Inocente touches him with a counter left hook. Perosh continues forward and takes Inocente down with the body lock. Perosh postures up and drills some meaningful right hands down, which allow him to pass to half guard. Perosh slips into full mount a moment later but Inocente snakes a leg in to secure half guard.

Cradle pass for Perosh to get back into full mount. Now Perosh takes back mount as Inocente tries to spin out — Inocente rolls back into mount and tries to get half guard but Perosh transitions to the back again, this time getting his forearm under the chin to finish with the mata leao.

Sam Alvey vs. Dylan Andrews

R1: A trio of uncommitted outside low kicks from Andrews. Something happens and the crowd and both fighters laugh; a mystery. Andrews explodes for an impressive double-leg and lands in side control, looking to mount. Alvey tries to time an escape but Andrews gets mount; it’s brief as Alvey bucks him off. Andrews puts Alvey on the fence with the rear waist-lock and heaves Alvey overhead with a belly-to-back suplex — it looks as if Andrews pulls Alvey on to his head and gets dazed from the impact. Alvey rolls into mount and puts him out with a  big right hand amidst a ferocious flurry.

Louis Smolka vs. Richie Vaculik

R1: They both connect with step-in rights. Smolka gets countered with a hard right and a knee while throwing a lazy high kick, then digests a cross-hook combo that might have hurt him. Smolka flashes an axe kick from outside and Vaculik bores a lead right hand to the body. Vaculik sitting down on his combos and keeping Smolka at bay with heaters. Vaculik’s huge overhand right grazes Smolka. Vaculik counters Smolka’s one-two with an uppercut but then Smolka lands it on their next exchange.

Smolka bleeding slightly from the bridge of his nose but he finds the mark with two quick combos. Vaculik responds with a nasty inside low kick that causes Smolka to lose his balance. More axe kicks from Smolka. Vaculik connects with quick punches at close range and then hits a duck-under double leg. Smolka is active from his guard and creates a scramble, nearly avoiding a choke from the front headlock before getting top position. 10-9 Vaculik.

R2: The second starts with a more measured pace. Smolka has a left high kick blocked but lands one to the body. Vaculik lands first on a mutual one-two. Smolka misses with a flying knee but lands an outside low kick; he lands two more but gets countered by a right on the last. Another lazy kick from Smolka, this time an axe kick, and Vaculik easily takes him down. Smolka gets his back taken in the scramble but manages to spin out and sweep into top position.

Vaculik tries to stand but Smolka re-grounds him with a body-lock. Vaculik boots Smolka away with both feet on his hips and stands back up. More outside low kicks from Smolka while dodging Vaculik’s counters. Inside low kick from Vaculik, then a left hook. One-two lands to Smolka’s bloody nose for Vaculik. 10-9 Smolka.

R3: Smolka chambers a front-leg side kick and plunges his heel right into Vaculik’s face — the blow folds Vaculik and Smolka finishes him off with a flurry.

Chris Clements vs. Vik Grujic

R1: They tie up and Grujic hits an inside trip from the over-under clinch and lands in half guard, digging in with a stiff cross-face. Grujic passes to mount briefly but is bucked off by Clements’ explosive hips. Grujic keeps Clements on the fence with an underhook and throws a few short lefts. Clements gets wrist control and bombs a knee to the ribs, then takes a wide stance to dissuade Grujic from changing levels.

A body knee from Clements forces a separation and Clements tags Grujic with an overhand right when they re-engage. Now it’s Clements pinning Grujic on the fence with a left-side underhook whilst throwing right hands. Grujic circles off the fence but eats a sharp knee to the grill and it wobbles him. Clements chases after him with his right hand cocked and discharges a meatball that further discombobulates Grujic. Clements whirs his hands until Grujic topples over.

Daniel Kelly vs. Luke Zachrich

R1: Zachrich unbolts a quick combo to back Kelly up. Kelly with a rear-leg inside low kick. Kelly catches Zachrich with a right after his left cross misses. Kelly glances with a one-two. Lead right and outside low kick combo for Kelly, who then pastes Zachrich with a clean left cross. Zachrich fires back with a right, then tries to change levels but his shot is stuffed.

Counter right hook is on the money for Kelly again. They both connect with mutual combinations simultaneously. Kelly ducks under a Zachrich left hook and tries to get in on a double but disengages after Zachrich spikes down an elbow. Kelly gets the single collar tie and drums a half-dozen uppercuts into the face of Zachrich but gets stunned by a shot after they break. Zachrich shoots a double but Kelly hits an inside trip counter and falls into half guard. Kelly reaches over for the kimura and forces the tapout after passing to side mount.

Here we go, this is Kid Nate live blogging until Dallas gets home. He thought it started later.

Marcus Brimage vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun

R1: Brimage is throwing a lot of kicks, missing early. And now he’s connecting. Body kick staggers Tuerxun. Brimage drops him with a huge kick and it’s over! Marcus Brimage def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via knockout (head kick) – 2:58 of RD 1