5 most iconic Michael Bisping moments in the UFC

#2. Michael Bisping defends his belt against Dan Henderson in Manchester at UFC 204

Following the win over Anderson Silva in London, Michael Bisping went on to win the UFC middleweight belt. In his first title defense, he took on former foe Dan Henderson in a rematch.

As discussed in the previous entry, Bisping succumbed to a devastating KO loss to Henderson back in 2009 at UFC 100. That knockout remains one of the most memorable KOs in UFC history. 'The Count' looked to avenge that loss when he welcomed the MMA veteran to Manchester at UFC 204.

The middleweight duo put on an enthralling bout which ended up winning 'Fight of the Night' honors. Michael Bisping struggled with the power of Dan Henderson in the first two rounds, despite outstriking him in almost every exchange. 'The Count' got knocked down twice in the opening 10 minutes and seemingly had a mountain to climb thereafter.

Bisping's renowned heart and grit shone through in the next three rounds. The Englishman found his distance and rhythm after a tumultuous start to the fight and subsequently picked apart Henderson all the way till the end of the fifth. He came away with a unanimous decision win, much to the delight of the Manchester crowd in attendance.

Watch Michael Bisping discuss his rematch with Dan Henderson below:

The win over Dan Henderson turned out to be the last win of Michael Bisping's storied career. His next bout would be his loss to Georges St-Pierre in 2017, which ultimately turned out to be the penultimate fight of his run in the UFC. His last appearance inside the octagon came in a short-notice matchup against Kelvin Gastelum, following which he finally hung up his gloves.

He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame two years after retiring.

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#1. Michael Bisping beats Luke Rockhold to win the belt at UFC 199

While the rematch against Dan Henderson likely felt good, Michael Bisping's second outing against Luke Rockhold was undoubtedly much sweeter. Bisping and Rockhold squared off for the first time in 2014 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in Sydney, Australia.

On that occasion, Luke Rockhold secured a fairly comfortable submission victory. He would go on to dominate Lyoto Machida to earn a shot at the middleweight championship. In 2015, Rockhold took on then-titleholder Chris Weidman in the co-main event of UFC 194, where he claimed a TKO win to become the new champion at 185 pounds.

Rockhold was slated to take on Weidman in a rematch later that year and the duo were expected to run it back at UFC 199. However, the challenger picked up a leg injury just two weeks before the bout, leaving the champion without an opponent. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza was initially rumored to be stepping in on short notice. It was later revealed that the new challenger would be Michael Bisping instead.

The incredible circumstances behind Bisping finally getting a title shot are, in many ways, typical of his career. After going through a murderers' row of challengers, ending up on the wrong end of numerous judges' decisions and seemingly never backing down, he was given a championship opportunity on 14 days' notice against a fighter he'd already lost to.

Watch Michael Bisping discuss the circumstances surrounding his title-winning performance with Joe Rogan below:

Considering their history and clear clash of personalities, the fight week leading up to their championship bout was incredibly entertaining. Luke Rockhold's somewhat smug demenour was repeatedly ridiculed by Michael Bisping, who mocked the champion's overconfidence heading into the bout.

In what turned out to be one of the quickest and easiest fights of his professional career, Bisping knocked Rockhold out in the very first round. 'The Count' connected with a perfectly placed left hook that dropped the champ and he landed another heavy blow seconds later to effectively finish the fight.

After multiple title runs, constant medical issues and perhaps the toughest road to UFC gold in the history of the promotion, Michael Bisping became an undisputed world champion.

His standing as a legend of the sport has been further solidified in recent times as shocking details about the obstacles he overcame en route to fulfilling his destiny have been revealed. Without a doubt, 'The Count' will go down as one of the best to ever do it.

Watch Michael Bisping's crowning moment below: