UFC 199 was a big card long before this weekend because it featured a main event of middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defending his title for the first time in a rematch against Chris Weidman. The co-main event had Dominick Cruz defending his bantamweight title in a trilogy fight against Urijah Faber.
The balloon seemed to deflate about two weeks ago when Weidman was forced to pull out due to a neck injury. The UFC then pulled a rabbit out of the hat when Michael Bisping agreed to replace Weidman.
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The change has produced even more buzz for the main event because of the disdain Rockhold and Bisping have for each other.
The feud started before they first fought in November 2014 when Bisping claimed he beat up Rockhold a couple years earlier in a sparring session. The talk continued after Rockhold won by second-round submission.
The American Kickboxing Academy fighter believes there is more chatter about him fighting Bisping than Weidman. He doesn't hold back on how much he hates his new opponent.
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"It feels good to me, too," Rockhold told Sporting News. "I’m excited. Like I’ve said, I kind of feel bad for beating up on Weidman. I get excited to beat up Michael Bisping (laughs). It’s a different dynamic. It’s just different. It’s fun and I’m not going to lie, I’m going to enjoy this one a little bit more because Bisping is Bisping. Bisping is a d— and it’s nice to shove that thing back into his mouth."
One would think the hatred would go away over time and be replaced by respect. That's usually how life goes as one gets older. Rockhold respects what Bisping has done inside the Octagon, but his views of his opponent remain the same.
"My perception of Bisping has never changed," Rockhold said. "He’s always been a smug, arrogant (jerk). He’s funny, I’m not going to lie, he’s clever, but he’s always been a d—. He’s always been a (jerk). I enjoy shutting his mouth. It’s definitely fun. I respect him as a fighter and that’s about as far as it goes."
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Before Weidman pulled out of the fight, Rockhold predicted he would stop the former 185-pound champ inside one round. Rockhold sees UFC 199 ending the same way with Bisping as his opponent, but isn't sure how he's going to end his first title defense.
"With Bisping, I’m excited to put on an amazing performance," Rockhold said. "I see a devastating knockout and it’s just a matter of what I’m going to knock him out with. Am I going to choose my hands? Am I going to choose my feet? Left, right, I don’t know. But, you’re going to have something nice. I’m going to put out a spectacular knockout early on."
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, The Fight Club Chicago, and subscribe on iTunes. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
