Luke Rockhold to defend title against Michael Bisping at UFC 199 on June 4

Michael Bisping is tied with Hall of Famer Matt Hughes for the second-most victories in UFC history with 18, only one behind ex-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. If Bisping ties the mark in his next outing, he'll become a champion himself.

Bisping will step in to replace Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC 199 on June 4 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., challenging champion Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt.

Weidman needs surgery on his neck, he noted Wednesday in a Facebook post.

Bisping, The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 winner, has been in the UFC since 2006 without a title shot. He was beaten by Rockhold in a non-title fight in Australia in 2014. Rockhold submitted Bisping with a guillotine choke on Nov. 7, 2014, in Sydney.

Since that defeat, Bisping has won three in a row, including a victory over ex-champion Anderson Silva on Feb. 27 in a Fight of the Night battle in London.

When news of Weidman's injury broke Tuesday, Bisping pleaded for the title shot.

Bisping has won three in a row since the loss to Rockhold. He won decisions over C.B. Dollaway and Thales Leites, in addition to Silva, to put himself back in the title picture.

Appearing on SportsCenter, UFC president Dana White said that Jacare Souza, who routed Vitor Belfort on Saturday at UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil, "makes the most sense." But White told SportsCenter that Souza injured his meniscus and needs surgery.

Belfort was the only fighter who was ranked higher than Bisping, but after the beating Belfort took from Souza, he won't be ready to fight any time soon, so Bisping was the highest available contender.