Michael Bisping the perfect foil as Luke Rockhold creeps toward UFC stardom
Luke Rockhold has been a champion. He's beaten Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Tim Kennedy. He has dominated ranked middleweights Tim Boetsch and Costas Philippou.
Yet none of those things will be bigger for his career than a win over Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC Fight Night (10 p.m., Fight Pass) on Friday night in Sydney, Australia. Bisping isn't his toughest opponent -- Rockhold is more than a 4-to-1 favorite -- but he is by far his biggest name opponent. And the verbal jousting between the two has given fans a much-needed glimpse into Rockhold's personality.
"It definitely is a bonus to shut his mouth and set the record straight on that note," Rockhold said on a media conference call last week. "He's just a guy I really haven't respected along the way."
Vitor Belfort is getting the next UFC middleweight title shot against Chris Weidman at UFC 184 on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles. Most figure that Souza is the next in line after Belfort, even though Rockhold is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion and owns a win over "Jacare." If Rockhold can beat Bisping convincingly -- and he believes he will -- those discussions could be changing. Rockhold could end up being the new No. 1 contender.
The UFC probably wouldn't mind that, either. Rockhold doesn't just have one of the most versatile and technical skill sets in the division, he also has some star potential. He's good looking, charismatic and has an eye-pleasing style in the Octagon. His body-kick finish of Philippou and the way he tied Boetsch into a knot with a reverse triangle were memorable moments.
The only thing making Rockhold stand out more now is this back-and-forth saga with Bisping. You surely know the story by now. The two sparred together a few years ago and Bisping went on FOX airwaves and bragged about besting Rockhold in the gym. There has been bad blood ever since and the trash talk leading up to this bout has been fun.
"The difference between me and Michael, our fighting skills, is the same difference between our beards: I’m just more of a man than him," Rockhold said on the call.
Bisping responded: "What a great insight there. He can grow slightly better facial hair so therefore he’s a better man and he’s going to win the fight. Good on you Luke. Well done. You’ve got more pubes on your face."
Though Bisping has never been a UFC champion, he has been one of the most popular (infamous?) fighters in the organization for the better part of a decade. Win, lose or controversial finish, Bisping gets people to pay attention. Rockhold has been the beneficiary in this case.
The UFC rarely holds media conference calls with two main event fighters anymore -- even for big pay-per-view events. But the organization's PR honchos rightly figured this matchup warranted it, likely because of both men's desire to get into it verbally. Bisping has gotten the better of Rockhold in that department, but Rockhold's cocky-yet-likable personality has shown through.
Rockhold, 30, has said he's willing to bet Bisping his fight purse that he will finish him inside of the first round. Bisping isn't taking the bait, but Rockhold's confidence is on a different level. He should gain some new supporters in the process. Bisping is someone fans love to hate anyway, so some of that should rub off in a positive way on Rockhold.
"I’m going to bring everyone to my side after the fight and that’s all that really matters," Rockhold said. "I’m sure I’ll have some good support out there and probably have some haters as far as that goes, but I’m going to make a lot of fans out there after this fight and that’s all that matters."
Maybe one day Rockhold will look back and see Bisping's boasting as one of the best things for his career.
