Luke Rockhold dethroned Chris Weidman from the top of the middleweight mountain by dismantling him at UFC 194 en route to second-round technical knockout victory last December.
The rematch, however, promises to be an even better performance from Rockhold, as the new division kingpin recently predicted during an EA Sports media event, claiming his opponent’s current emotional state won’t help him when they lock horns for a second time.
Speaking of emotions, Rockhold says he doesn’t know what to make of the ex-champ’s constant need to speak over him during the recent UFC “Unstoppable” presser (video replay here). As he sees it, Weidman appears to be lost without the 185-pound title around his waist.
His words (via MMA Junkie):
“Weidman was talking over me the whole time like an emotional little girl. Jesus, I literally couldn’t say nothing with him talking over me. Obviously not having the belt has gotten to him. I don’t know where he’s coming from, he’s just really emotional — maybe he’s on his period or something. He doesn’t look like himself. We’ll see if this emotion helps him. But to my knowledge emotion doesn’t help you fight. He better check himself or this fight’s going to be over a lot sooner than he expects, maybe than even I expect. I don’t feel threatened by Chris. I really don’t see what he’s going to bring to the table to blow me away. He’s a great fighter, but I’m the best.”
He continues:
“I think you’re going to see a different fight. It’s going to be quick, it’s going to be fast, it’s going to be precise and I’m going to go in there and execute. What? Weidman’s got a broken foot? What is that going to change when he comes back with a healthy foot? His most effective thing in the whole fight was kicks, and he was kicking with both feet. Having a healthy foot isn’t going to help him be a better boxer, it’s not going to help him be a better grappler. I went in there and fought on antibiotics. that held me back, didn’t have the output I normally do”
Rockhold admitted that he wasn’t satisfied after his initial win over “All American,” saying that he only fought to half of his abilities.
But he has the chance to make up for it now that the two are set to run it back one more time in the main event of UFC 199 on June 4, 2016 in Los Angeles, California (full details).
And if you thought this performance was impressive, wait until you see the sequel.