Michael Bisping gained revenge over arch rival Dan Henderson as he successfully defended his UFC middleweight title in a thrilling contest at the Manchester Arena in the early hours of Sunday.
The Mancunian, who suffered a second-round knockout to the Californian seven years ago in Las Vegas, was given a huge scare by his opponent but dug deep to earn a unanimous decision from the judges - 48-47 48-47 49-46.
Bisping's 20th victory is more than any other man in the promotion's history and means the 37-year-old has elevated himself to a place among the sport's all-time greats.
He said:"First of all give it up for Dan Henderson. All the trash talk, you have to respect he is a legend. I'd just like to thank the fans. All the support you gave me, it melts my heart. I'm not being cheesy, thanks from the bottom of my heart.
"I know people spoke and said he's not the number one contender but this guy knocked me out cold. Look at my face."
The rivalry between Bisping and Henderson stems back to Ultimate Fighter season nine, in 2009, when they coached Team UK and Team US, respectively.
Bisping, who won the middleweight crown in June on just 17 days' notice to become Britain's first UFC champion, had vowed to knock out the two-time former Olympic wrestler, while mixed martial arts veteran Henderson - a former titleholder in Pride and Strikeforce - was looking to cap off his career with an elusive UFC world title.
The bout would be the last hurrah for 46-year-old Henderson, who stated he would retire whatever the result.
Both men were tentative in the opening stages. A stiff jab opened up a cut above the bridge of Bisping's nose before the Englishman was heavily rocked by the right hand which knocked him out in their first encounter seven years ago.
But the Clitheroe man survived the ground-and-pound of Henderson to make it out of the round with just a badly swollen left eye.
A bloodied Bisping rallied back and got the 21,000 fans off their feet with a resurgent start to the second round, using effective striking to keep his opponent at bay.
Bisping appeared to hurt Henderson with an unintentional groin kick before another overhand right dropped the middleweight champion. The third round had Bisping apply continuous pressure on the veteran, with his opponent seemingly content to wait for one big shot.
Another unintentional groin kick from the champion brought a brief stop to the action in the fourth, much to the dismay of the pro-Bisping crowd. Henderson produced a late surge, but Bisping held on for victory.
Henderson said: "That's the last time anyone will see me fight live. I appreciate all the support I've had throughout the years. I've given my heart and soul to this sport.
"I came up short tonight... but I'm not bad for an old men, eh? I just wish the judge had called it on the way we both looked after the fight."
Earlier at the Manchester Arena, eighth-ranked light-heavyweight Jimi Manuwa earned his biggest win of his UFC career with a second-round knockout against recent title challenger Ovince Saint Preux on the main card.