Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC Fight Night 55 plays host to a top-10 middleweight matchup.

No. 5-ranked contender Luke Rockhold (12-2) takes on No. 9-ranked Michael Bisping (25-6) to see who can take the next step up in the division. Both men are not too far out from a title shot in the murky waters of 185 pounds.

Bisping has gone 3-3 in his previous six bouts. He has exchanged wins and losses, but he remains one of the top middleweights in the world. He has been through a lot of battles during his MMA career that could begin to take its toll on the talented Brit.

Rockhold has won his last two outings inside the Octagon. A win over Bisping would give him a decent case to be made a title contender. The former Strikeforce middleweight king will need to make an impression if he wants to put his name among the elite.

This will be sure to be an exciting battle with a high output of offense. Without further ado, let's break down the UFC Fight Night 55 main event.

Striking

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The striking matchup between Bisping and Rockhold is very interesting.

Bisping has high output on his strikes. I hesitate to call him a point fighter, but he doesn't possess the big power that several others in the division do. He beats you up and makes you wilt under the pressure. According to FightMetric, Bisping holds the UFC record for significant strikes landed throughout his career.

Bisping also holds the record for significant strike defense (minimum of five UFC fights).

But stats can be misleading. Rockhold absorbs less significant strikes per minute than Bisping.

Rockhold is more diverse in his stand-up, and he does have more power than Bisping. The Brit has hit his ceiling on his striking, but Rockhold is only getting better. The movement of Rockhold will allow him to land more throughout the course of this fight.

I give a slight edge to the more diverse striking of Rockhold.

Edge: Rockhold

Grappling

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If there is one area you can applaud the development of Bisping over his career it is his grappling—more specifically, his offensive wrestling.

Bisping has developed into a fairly good wrestler. Not only that, his defensive capabilities are impressive as well. Chael Sonnen was able to take him down, but he was unable to keep him there. Bisping will take the opportunity if presented with it.

However, in this particular matchup, it may not work out so well. Rockhold has excellent takedown defense. Not only that, he gets challenged by better wrestlers at American Kickboxing Academy on a daily basis. He will not think much of Bisping's grappling abilities.

I am not expecting this to break out into a wrestling battle. These two prefer to stand and exchange. Of the two, Bisping may be more likely to attempt a takedown, but he won't find much success against Rockhold. The American is more likely to defend and land takedowns Saturday.

Edge: Rockhold

Submissions

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Throughout Bisping's lengthy career, he has only come away with four submission victories. His style is much more predicated on his boxing.

Rockhold has six submission wins to his credit, including one over Tim Boetsch in his most recent fight.

When the fight hits the canvas, Bisping looks to ground-and-pound while Rockhold tries to find open submissions. There is nothing wrong with either approach, but it certainly swings this category in favor of Rockhold.

Submitting Bisping would be a big accomplishment. That would be a gold star on Rockhold's resume.

Edge: Rockhold

X-Factors

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Bisping's X-Factor: Pace

Earlier, I mentioned Bisping's output and how it can wilt opponents. The reason that is the case is Bisping keeps a high pace through the entire length of the fight. He has fought numerous five-round fights in his career, and he seemingly gets stronger the deeper it goes.

That is a big factor in this fight.

Bisping doesn't allow his opponents to rest. If you take a round off against Bisping he is likely to light you up on the feet.

The deeper this fight goes, the more it'll get interesting.

Rockhold's X-Factor: Creating Distance

Rockhold has an inch in height and reach on Bisping. With Bisping's style, it may be advantageous to utilize his footwork and jab to keep Bisping chasing.

If Bisping gets inside, he unleashes quick combinations and bounces out of range. He knows how to score points.

Distance would allow Rockhold to avoid the high output of Bisping while also scoring with his kicks. It can also frustrate Bisping into making larger mistakes during the action to give Rockhold more opportunities to end the fight.

Prediction

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This fight is much closer than the previous slides show. Bisping is a talented fighter in nearly every category, but Rockhold edges him out everywhere. It is just not a favorable stylistic matchup for Bisping.

But this is why they fight the fights.

Bisping is most certainly a live dog in this matchup. He has a style that can beat almost anyone on the scorecards—and therein lies the problem. His style gives his opponents time. If Bisping had the brutal KO power or slick world class jiu-jitsu to finish fights, he likely would have already fought for the gold at least once.

Rockhold can mix it up with Bisping without much fear of being laid out. He can test his striking, and if that isn't on point Saturday, he can use his grappling to slow down the pace and score against the fence or on the mat.

This may look similar to Bisping's bout against Tim Kennedy. Time passes us all by, and it has done so with Bisping and his status as an elite middleweight. Rockhold is the new wave of middleweight.

The former Strikeforce champion won't be able to finish Bisping, but it should be a fairly one-sided fight.

Prediction: Rockhold defeats Bisping by unanimous decision