With the upcoming UFC Fight Night 55 card in Australia fast approaching, the hyperbole and trash talking proceeds to heighten the anticipation most MMA fans have for this middleweight main event contest. The bout, which will take place at the AllPhones Arena in Sydney on November 7, is one of the biggest fights to grace Australia since MMA took off in the country.
With both having eyes on a possible run to the middleweight title, a victory for either fighter this coming weekend would no doubt put him in the frame to fight the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Victor Belfort. After a recent win over Cung Le in Macau, Bisping arguably has the most momentum heading into this fight in Sydney, after a run of disappointments including eye surgery and a recent points decision loss to Tim Kennedy.
Luke Rockhold, however, will point to his recent victories against Costa Phillipou and Tim Boetsch as justification for a title run, which will be validated if he were to record an impressive victory over such a big name as Bisping. But above all the smack talk that has surrounded this fight, Rockhold will be looking to harness his superior jiu-jitsu against Bisping. You only have to look back at UFC 172 when he locked in that awesome inverted triangle kimura on Boetsch to see what Rockhold is capable of on the ground.
So, looking at all areas of the fight, who will come out on top? Potentially, both could exploit weaknesses in the other’s game due these two fighters having such contrasting styles. Bisping arguably has the better striking along with vastly superior Muay Thai and Rockhold the better jiu-jitsu, so it’ll be interesting to see where this fight takes place.
Where can you watch it?
As UFC’s Fight Pass continues to prevail in a world where content is brought to the consumer via Internet streaming services, you’ll be glad to know that if you are a subscriber to the UFC’s Fight Pass service, you’ll be able to watch the full card for free. Taking place on November 7 the card also features a host of hometown heroes such as TUF Nations competitors Vik Grujic, Daniel Kelly and Jake Matthews. On top of that, the card features Ross Pearson against Al Iaquinta, which should be an interesting lightweight showdown and could potentially solidify Pearson’s reputation as a legit UFC fighter.
How well is Fight Pass doing?
Fight Pass has a reported 1 million subscribers as of May 9, 2014 according to the UFC’s Chief Content Officer, Marshall Zelaznik. In another report Zelaznik reaffirmed how Internet content will become a huge part of the way the UFC offers content to their fanbase in the coming years. This is mainly due to the consumer demanding content on the go and the need for such material to be accessible throughout the day regardless of a person’s whereabouts. This is also down to increasing use of smartphones globally as Gaming Realms; the developer’s behind portal PocketFruity reported that such increase has risen to 17% globally. Meaning that the market for content ported directly to devices such as smartphones is a lucrative one. Hence why the UFC is pouring so much resource into Fight Pass and looks at this service as a huge focal point for delivering content and events to its fanbase.
With the UFC reportedly earning a staggering $9,900,000 a month from the Fight Pass subscriptions it’s clear to see that the service has become a big part of the UFC’s revenue.
View the full card here.
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UFC Fight Night 55: Rockhold vs. Bisping is due to take place on November 8, 2014 at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. (Due to the time differences, the event will air on November 7, 2014 in the United States.)
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