Luke Rockhold wasn't trying to finish Michael Bisping in first; Bisping says headbutt erased memory

With the conclusion of the grudge match between UFC middleweights Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping, it was time to pull back the curtain and get real.

Like so many grudge matches, most of the words between the fighters was for show. All of Rockhold’s promises about a first-round finish of Bisping, for instance, weren’t really his priority going into the fight.

“I do my homework, and I know Michael’s been in the business for a long time, and I’ve been watching him fight, so I knew how to approach it; I knew what he would bring, and I knew what I could do,” Rockhold (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) said following his second-round submission of Bisping (25-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 55 at Sydney’s Allphones Arena. The event streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.

“I just wanted to take my time and not be overaggressive and try to finish in the first round, like I was talking about. I knew it was a possibility, but I was going to be patient. That’s the way I’ve done it the last three fights, and that’s the way it’s going to be. Understand his range and find my timing.”

Rockhold timed a head kick beautifully to take Bisping off his feet and set up a one-armed guillotine from mount, not your average finishing move in the octagon. It was his third straight win since a setback to Vitor Belfort put on hold his dream of a UFC title shot, and perhaps his most impressive to date.

Bisping claimed the fight went south for him much earlier than the highlight-reel finish. A clash of heads brought his protest to Herb Dean, which led to a brief timeout and doctor check of a cut he opened prior to the event in a sparring session.

“I’ve got to be careful about how I word this, because he beat me fair and square,” said Bisping, “but I can’t really remember anything after the headbutt, to be honest. But that’s the way it goes. We’re in there and we’re punching and we’re kicking, and heads clash. I doubt it was intentional. But it certainly did affect things.”

What Bisping remains steady on is his desire to continue competing. Although most MMA observers would say his title viability is faded, he has no plans on hanging up his gloves any time soon.

“I still love what I do,” Bisping said. “I still love this. I’m a fighter, I’ll always be a fighter. As long as there’s a beat in my heart, I’ll still fight. I love doing this.”

Rockhold, meanwhile, is moving forward full steam with a good argument for the No. 2 contender position at 185 pounds. His headliner with Bisping, however, was never declared anything close to a title eliminator, and so he is convinced he needs to make his case a little stronger.

Asked whom he’d like to fight next, Rockhold said, “I don’t care. I’ll fight whoever. I’ll fight again. The title fight is a long ways away, and things need to happen. Whether it’s (Ronaldo) ‘Jacare’ (Souza); (Lyoto) Machida has a fight coming up, too. I think we’ve separated ourselves as the No. 1 contenders, and I’d be glad to prove myself against them.”

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 55, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Michael Bisping)