New UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has challenged Luke Rockhold to go out and earn a rematch with him.
Bisping produced a remarkable upset to dethrone the former title-holder at UFC 199, knocking out his American opponent. And remembering the work he had to put in to get a second shot at the title following his previous loss to Rockhold in 2014, the Englishman thinks his most recent opponent should follow a similar path, per James Dielhenn of Sky Sports:
There's no point doing that [a rematch] straight away . When Luke beat me, I had to go away and beat three fighters to earn a chance at redemption. He can do the same thing.
Certainly his actions after the fight—if he had been more respectful I would have been more inclined but he didn't help his cause.
I'm sure between me and the UFC, we'll come up with the right person.
Of course, as the champion I do have influence. But I've never turned anybody down and I don't intend to start doing that as champion.
The “actions” Bisping referred to are in respect of the post-fight press conference. Usually there is plenty of respect shown between fighters after the heat of competition has cooled, but the two men were at one another as they addressed the media.
In an Instagram post, Rockhold accused the new champion of being “classless,” stating that “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.” Bisping responded by telling TMZ that the American was simply a “sore loser.”
As noted by Sports Illustrated’s Jeff Wagenheim, after Bisping delivered his decisive punches, he made his feelings to Rockhold pretty clear:
Any lip readers out there? I didn't catch what Bisping said while atop the cage, pointing at Rockhold. (Kidding. I got every word. Both.)
— Jeff Wagenheim (@jeffwagenheim) June 5, 2016
With no obvious contender to take on Bisping at the moment, the middleweight star discussed the possibility of his first title defence being on home soil.
The 37-year-old is the first Englishman to ever win a UFC title, and he believes it would be fitting to stage a big show in the United Kingdom.
“I have had conversations with [UFC president] Dana White and [co-owner] Lorenzo Fertitta and said I'd like to fight in the UK for my first defence,” he said in the Sky Sports interview. “Dana said 'we'll see.' Whatever that means, we don't know.”
As noted by MMA Junkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu, there are already plans in place to celebrate the veteran’s win in Blighty:
UFC VP of Public Relations @Sholler_UFC says there will be a victory tour planned for @bisping in England. The man deserves it.
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) June 7, 2016
Bisping also revealed that he will not be waiting until December before getting into the Octagon again, stating “there will be a slot happening soon.” If that is indeed the case, his potential opponents could well be limited.
After all, Jacare Souza has a torn meniscus from UFC 198, Chris Weidman—the man Bisping filled in for at UFC 199—is not expected to return until the end of the year, while Yoel Romero’s situation remains unclear, with his ban for taking a banned substance to expire this summer.
Unless the company are going to draft in a fresh face like Robert Whittaker, an immediate rematch with Rockhold seems like the best option. After all, there is a clear needle between the two men, the American has proved himself many times as an exceptional fighter, and he has already scored an emphatic win over Bisping earlier in his career.
The thought process undertaken by the new title-holder is taking is logical, and it’d be fascinating to see a title defence in front of what would no doubt be a raucous home crowd.
But if he wants to get back in the Octagon quickly for a bout that cultivates interest from MMA fans, completing the trilogy with Rockhold is the best route to take.
