Luke Rockhold has slammed the character of new UFC Middleweight champion Michael Bisping after their clash at UFC 199.
Bisping stunned the former champion, scoring an upset victory in the first round to win the first title of his 10-year UFC career. But Rockhold lifted the lid on what went on in the aftermath of the fight in a bulletin on his Instagram account, insisting he feels as though the Englishman could have shown a little more class:
"After our first fight I picked him up off the canvas and gave him his due respect," continued the post. "Bisping went out of his way to come across the cage not to shake my hand like a man but to further mock the situation. I felt it was a classless move on his part."
In the post-fight press conference Rockhold also had some harsh words for the new champion, again questioning his behaviour after scoring the knockout win.
“That guy's such a [expletive],” he said, per Jonathan Bradley of Fox Sports. “You show your true colours after a fight. That guy comes up to me like, 'Do you know where you are!?' Like, I [expletive] picked you up off the canvas and gave you respect [after the first fight].”
Here is that press conference in full. *Warning, contains some expletive language*:
In response to the post, speaking to TMZ, Bisping stated he did his best to show respect to his beaten opponent and branded him a “sore loser.”
Few gave Bisping much of a chance heading into the showdown with Rockhold. The veteran stepped in to take the place of the injured Chris Weidman, and although the Englishman has always been a diligent fighter, when previously handed big opportunities in his career, he’d come up just short.
But perhaps buoyed by a victory over Anderson Silva earlier in the year, there was a confidence about Bisping when he stepped into the Octagon against Rockhold. The shots he landed to end the fight were thrown with a conviction we’ve not seen from the Englishman in his decade in the company.
As noted by MMA journalist Josh Gross, the confidence showed by Bisping was combined with the poor approach with which the former champion fought:
All the credit in the world to Michael Bisping. You make what you take. Luke Rockhold fought with zero regard for his opponent. Paid dearly.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) June 5, 2016
The result of the contest and the needle that remains between the two men could well pave the way for a trilogy to be completed at some point.
Rockhold choked out Bisping in the second round when the two met in 2014, meaning they’ve each scored an emphatic win over the other. The dynamic, with the former champion desperate to make amends and the new title-holder looking to defy the odds once again, would make for a fascinating spectacle.
Per Bradley, Bisping has outlined his intentions to give Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza a shot at the belt, having labelled Rockhold a “liar” for not fighting the Brazilian, per Rory Brigstock-Barron of the MailOnline. However, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, Jacare wouldn't have been in condition to take the fight on anyway:
Here is a pic of Jacare's torn right meniscus, per his team. Surgery is tomorrow. 2 wk recovery. Fight in 3 mths. pic.twitter.com/6OxF5HkptG
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 18, 2016
Jacare Souza had successful meniscus surgery today, I'm told. He's expected to go home tomorrow. 2 week recovery. Ready to fight in 2-3 mths
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 20, 2016
It could be a great time for the UFC to capitalise on the hype that's accompanied the spike in this longstanding feud, one that many anticipated would be buried by a routine Rockhold win at UFC 199. But Bisping has shaken up the division with this triumph, and having waited so long to get his hands on the gold, it’ll be intriguing to see his approach to defending it.
Rockhold’s response would also be well worth watching. It was only the third loss of the 31-year-old’s tremendous career and after his other two defeats, he’s responded with Round 1 wins in his very next outing. So if these two do meet for a third time, Bisping should beware.
