UFC Fight Night 147: 10 memorable moments from the UFC's previous shows in the UK

#4: Bisping’s title defence against Henderson – UFC 204 – 10/08/2016

Michael Bisping retained his UFC Middleweight title by beating Dan Henderson at home in Manchester

The most successful UFC fighter to hail from the UK, Michael Bisping’s long career appeared to be nearing its end in 2016, but the story of ‘The Count’ still had one final twist. Stepping in on late notice to replace Chris Weidman in a Middleweight title fight against champion Luke Rockhold – who’d comfortably beaten Bisping in 2014 – the Brit pulled off one of the UFC’s all-time great upsets to knock Rockhold out and capture the title, becoming the first fighter from the UK to hold UFC gold.

It was a no-brainer to book his first title defense in the UK, and so 4 months after his big title win, Bisping was matched with his greatest rival, Dan Henderson – the man who handed him an unforgettable knockout loss at UFC 100 in 2009 – with his title on the line. With the show airing on pay-per-view in the US, 16,000 fans packed the Manchester Arena and waited until around 5:30am for their hero to enter the Octagon.

And despite being hurt badly in the first and second rounds, Bisping repaid them with a classic performance, as he gutted it out and showed incredible toughness to outwork Henderson over five rounds, retaining his title in a unanimous decision. It was one of the greatest moments of Bisping’s career – and turned out to be his final UFC victory too, as he retired after two consecutive losses a year later.