The all-clear has been given on UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold’s knee, paving the way for his fight with Michael Bisping at UFC 199.

Concerns were raised at Thursday’s news conference for the pay-per-view event when Rockhold claimed to have suffered a torn MCL in preparation for his first title defense, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

But the fighter passed an examination by a ringside physician from the California State Athletic Commission, which will regulate Saturday’s pay-per-view event. The doctor who checked him out said that while Rockhold has a Grade II “strain” of his medical collateral ligament, he has good stability in his knee and is healthy enough to compete.

“As far as his physical exam, no, (there is no evidence of an MCL tear),” said Dr. Diego Allende, an osteopathic, family medicine, and anti-aging doctor who spoke to MMAjunkie today after preliminary weigh-ins for the event. “He has good stability, good range of motion; he cleared completely on the examination. I have all the confidence in the world that that won’t be an issue in his competition tomorrow night.”

There are three levels of injury to the MCL, which blunts the impact of lateral movement. A Grade III is the most severe, involving a complete tear of the ligament. A Grade II usually means a partial tear, with the usual recovery time for a Grade II is between two and four weeks.

Allende examined Rockhold as part of the licensing process for the event, which requires fighters to undergo a pre-fight physical and submit medical tests proving they are in good condition, and said his condition was consistent with an athlete who’d suffered a sprain and was recovering.

So in other words, Rockhold (15-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) can fight. But his knee will probably get no special treatment from Bisping (28-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC), who stepped into the title fight on short notice when No. 1 contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was forced to undergo knee surgery.

For more on UFC 199, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.