MICHAEL Bisping was knocked out for the first time in a devastating defeat at UFC 100 in Las Vegas.

The Clitheroe mixed martial artist was out cold for around a minute after the brutal right of Dan Henderson smashed across his jaw and sent him falling backwards like a felled tree.

Bisping, now 18-2-0, took on Henderson, a legend of MMA and two-time Olympic wrestler, knowing a victory would give him a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

But his dreams were left in tatters with 1.42 left in the second round as Henderson won the right to fight for the belt in front of 11,000 fans at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and millions of television viewers in 75 counties.

After knocking out Bisping with the right, Henderson landed a needless elbow across the Brit’s face before the referee officially stopped the fight.

Henderson said: “That one was just to shut him up a little bit. I believe I accomplished that for a little while but I don't know if I’ll ever shut his mouth completely.”

Bisping was taken to hospital for a precautionary scan and did not appear at the post-fight press conference.

Earlier, he had entered the arena to the strains of Blur’s Song Two looking focused and in fantastic shape, but booed by the partisan American crowd.

The first round set the theme for the fight, with Henderson trying to set up his big powerful right.

He looked to have Bisping rocked earlier on but the East Lancastrian recovered well and started to find his feet, using his speed to evade Henderson and land shots.

However the punishment by Henderson looked to have taken its toil at the end of the first round. Bisping looked tired as he headed for his corner and was scolded by his coaches for circling to the left, effectively walking into Henderson’s famed right.

And the coach’s advice proved prophetic. Bisping was never able to impose his game as the second round followed the pattern of the first until Henderson landed that devastating punch.