Rockhold, Cruz put UFC titles on the line

Rockhold faces Bisping at Forum in first defense. Cruz will fight Faber, who beat him nine years ago.

Luke Rockhold and Dominick Cruz, both title holders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have a deep appreciation for what they endured to win their belts. But on Saturday night their titles are on the line in separate bouts at the Forum in UFC 199.

Rockhold (15-2) is making his first middleweight title defense against Michael Bisping, 37, a veteran top-10 contender who has never fought for a UFC belt.

Meanwhile, Cruz (21-1) is defending his bantamweight belt against Urijah Faber, also 37.

Faber dealt Cruz his only loss nine years ago in the World Extreme Cagefighting circuit. But Cruz won the rematch in 2011 and Faber has lost all three of his shots at either an outright or interim UFC belt.

San Diego’s Cruz endured three knee injuries and a groin tear that took more than four years away from his title reign before he recaptured the belt in January.

“[Faber] is going to miss often, I’m going to connect often. He’s not going to have the belt,” Cruz said. “He thinks he will, just like he thought last time. I was better than him then and I’m still better than him now.”

Faber (33-8) is upbeat about his chances Saturday because he has lost only to former champions Renan Barao and Frankie Edgar in the last four years. Faber says Cruz won because of flawed judging in their 2011 bout.

“I’ve been at the top of my game my entire career, fighting Hall of Famers in [two] divisions,” Faber said. “If you look at the last fight against Dominick, I beat him up. Punched him in the face and knocked him down.

“I love the emotions of this thing. This is an emotional sport. I always have high energy, but there’s more edge to this one. I’m going to smack this guy around.”

Cruz said that type of ego plays right into his hand, predicting Faber’s hellbent interest in beating a rival and finally wearing the belt will result in a disheveled performance.

“He can be as strong and tough as he thinks he is, but he’ll miss — miss a lot. I beat you for a reason,” Cruz said to Faber at Thursday’s news conference. “I beat you unanimously. I have the belt and you don’t for a reason. You’re completely delusional.”

Similarly, Rockhold says fourth-ranked middleweight Bisping (29-7) is in too deep. When they fought in 2014, Rockhold delivered a head kick and submitted Bisping in the second round by guillotine choke.

Bisping hopes to become the first UFC champion from the United Kingdom. He accepted the fight less than three weeks ago, after Rockhold’s scheduled opponent, former UFC champion Chris Weidman, suffered a neck injury. Weidman was preparing for a rematch of a fight Rockhold won by fourthround technical knockout in December.

Now, Rockhold says he’s planning an extended title reign.

“I know Bisping … and I know what I’m capable of,” Rockhold said. “I put in too much work, I understand too much — technique versus technique, power to power — there’s not a man on this planet who can match me.”

Bisping’s confidence is rooted in his narrow decision victory over former long-reigning champion Anderson Silva in England in February. “Every fight is different,” Bisping said, when asked about the earlier loss to Rockhold.

“I get to punch him in the face and become champion at the same time,” Bisping said.

Bisping sought to irk the champion by claiming this week that Rockhold ducked higher-ranked Brazilian Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in favor of choosing the veteran Brit, a claim Rockhold denies.

“You’re just an average bloke,” Rockhold told Bisping.