UFC middleweight Michael Bisping to Luke Rockhold: Get over it, dude

UFC middleweight Michael Bisping can’t figure out why Luke Rockhold keeps going on about an insensitive comment he made several months ago, but he’s willing nonetheless to settle things in the cage.

“I’m certainly not shying away from the situation here, Luke,” Bisping told MMAjunkie Radio. “If you want to get your ass kicked again, then make the call.”

Rockhold already is looking for a fight. He called out Bisping after beating Tim Boetsch at this past month’s UFC 172, adding another challenge to a long list of verbal barbs exchanged with the British fighter since the two crossed wires.

Bisping rubbed Rockhold the wrong way when he boasted on “UFC Tonight” that he got the best of the former Strikeforce champ during a short-notice training session. Since then, Rockhold hasn’t let up.

“I let it be known that Bisping is out there,” Rockhold said post-UFC 172. “A lot of people are calling him out, but Bisping went on national TV and told everyone that he was the unofficial Strikeforce champion. He calls it a joke, but I say he’s got bad taste, and he needs to pay for it.”

What the recently victorious fighter might be ignoring is Bisping’s take on his action. While “The Count” is known for doubling down on insults against potential opponents, he acknowledges he was in the wrong and spoke out of turn by making gym business public.

“I got carried away and I made a comment that I immediately regretted,” Bisping said. “I said it for the sake of controversy at the time, and perhaps I shouldn’t have. So yeah, it was kind of a d–k move.”

Bisping, in fact, seems to be maturing. After a heated buildup to his previous fight, a headliner with Tim Kennedy at the TUF Nations Finale, he gave his opponent respect after losing a unanimous decision.

When it comes to Rockhold, however, he is aggravated that one incident has been blown up so much.

“Yeah, alright, so he sounded offended,” Bisping said. “So then I apologized, and he still won’t stop whining on about it. You used the word d–k, so I’m going to use the word b—h, getting on like a little b—h that’s on his period, and I’m sick of hearing about it.

“So maybe when his pinkie toe heals up, we can settle the score once and for all. I’m more than willing.”

Rockhold (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) recently tweeted a picture of a broken toe he suffered during the Boetsch fight, adding he’ll be ready to begin training again in a few weeks. Since a knockout loss to Vitor Belfort this past summer in his octagon debut, he has won two straight fights.

Bisping (24-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC), meanwhile, is looking for traction in the middleweight division, having hopscotched between wins and losses in his past six fights. He recently joined forces with 185-pound vet Mark Munoz, whom he was scheduled to fight before a career-threatening eye injury benched him.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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