UFC opinion: Bisping vs. Hendo II, anyone?

All logic points to Michael Bisping, who knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 to become the first British champion in UFC history, defending his middleweight belt against Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza in his first title defense.

Logic, rationale, and any other analytical process the mind uses to assimilate information was twisted inside out, flipped upside down and thrown into a tumble dryer when the MMA Gods crowned Bisping UFC champion last Saturday night.

Plasterer>postman>tiler>DJ>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>UFC world champ. At 37-years-old. The working class Brit, who grew up on the outskirts of Greater Manchester in the quiet town of Clitheroe, fulfilled his championship destiny at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif, blasting heavy favorite Rockhold into a daze in the first round. It was, perhaps, one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history and a moment that topped off a rollercoaster of events in the combat sports world.

"Apart from my children and my wife, this is the greatest day of my life," an ecstatic Bisping said in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. And, while that is no doubt the reality for Bisping, another potential life-changing event looms for 'The Count' in the mixed martial arts quantum field.

So now he's got an attitude, as if he were legit...

That potential reality, just waiting to be tapped into, is Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson II. For anyone that watched UFC 100, the blockbuster event that smashed all pay-per-view records in 2009, knows it featured a knockout - atomic in scale - that hasn't quite been re-created. We've had Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim, Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey, and Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, but none have managed to replicate the ripple effect that Dan Henderson's thunderous right hand caused at UFC 100.

As Bloody Elbow's Phil Mackenzie pointed out in a recent article, it was a knockout that sent the MMA world into a frenzy. A knockout that seemed to transcend space and time itself. For years, Bisping was mocked and ridiculed in the form of memes and internet gifs, after the former Cage Warriors light heavyweight champion was decimated in the second round by Hendo's monster right hand.

When destinies collide

Bisping, who has been competing under the UFC banner for almost a decade, wasn't supposed to top his (almost) career-defining performance against Anderson Silva earlier this year in London, England. It was a fight that, after ten years of blood, sweat and hard work in the gym, represented Bisping in his truest form: A hard-working, fighters' fighter that doesn't know how to quit.

UFC 199 was supposed to be Bisping's swansong and the final boss that always seemed too tough for the Brit to overcome.

Destiny is a bitch.

— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) June 5, 2016

Bisping's perseverance and unwillingness to quit, after a career of choking when it mattered the most against the Wanderlei Silva's and Chael Sonnen's of the MMA world, is what led to the current champ's stunning upset at UFC 199. If it was ever going to happen for Bisping, it was going to be like this.

Henderson, who kind-of announced his retirement after brutalizing Hector Lombard on UFC 199's main card, is forging his own destined path. The 45-year-old is now the oldest fighter on the UFC roster but still packs one of the heaviest punches in the sport. And, while many see his second round demolition of Lombard as the perfect fight to hang em' up on, there's surely a niggling voice in the back Hendo's head whispering Bisping's name.

If there was ever a fight to make Henderson reconsider his retirement, especially on the eve of UFC 200, it would be a title fight against Michael Bisping.

And, to inject at least a little logic and rationale into this article, Bisping vs Hendo II would, in my view, be by far the most lucrative financial option for the UFC to consider. It's a bonafide pay-per-view seller.

So, what have it? Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson on a collision course with destiny. Two ageing fighters looking to write the final chapter of their careers. One looking for revenge and recognition, the other looking to rewind the clock one final time against an old rival.