Ex-champ Luke Rockhold calls UFC 217 headliner between Michael Bisping, Georges St-Pierre 'a joke'

Former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold is coming back with a vengeance for his octagon return.

Rockhold (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is fighting ex-WSOF champ David Branch (21-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 116, but he’ll be ready if there’s a shuffle at the top of UFC 217.

If the Nov. 4 headliner between former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) and current middleweight champ Michael Bisping (30-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) falls apart, Rockhold said he’ll make a quick turnaround for New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

“I’m (expletive) tired of waiting,” Rockhold told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’m not (expletive) around. I’m tired of this (expletive). I’m tired of talking about it. I’m coming with a vengeance.”

UFC Fight Night 116 takes place Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The card airs on FS1 following an early prelim on UFC Fight Pass.

Rockhold doesn’t think highly of St-Pierre getting a shot at the middleweight title despite never competing in the division during his UFC tenure.

“I think Georges St-Pierre is a joke,” Rockhold said. “I still don’t have faith that Georges makes it to the fight, so we’ll see what happens.”

With his return more than a year in the making, Rockhold aims to reestablish himself as a frontrunner in the 185-pound class. He spent an extended period on the shelf with a knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from a pivotal rematch with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and sparred with the UFC over contract terms.

With a new deal now in hand, Rockhold still has some misgivings about the way the sport is promoted. But he’ll put those aside as he tries to work his way back into the title picture.

If he needs to make a quick turnaround to get back in contention, he’ll make it happen.

Rockhold isn’t too impressed by Branch’s tough talk leading into the fight, dismissing a selfie video the ex-WSOF champ shot to declare he would “beat you like you stole something.”

“I don’t really give a (expletive) about people that talk behind sunglasses and a beanie,” Rockhold said. “He can talk all he wants – it’s going to be fight time next week, and he’ll find out where he belongs.”

Still, Rockhold takes care not to underestimate Branch, lest he repeat his mistake against Bisping. There are no more mistakes he can make if he wants to regain his former glory.

For more on UFC Fight Night 116, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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