UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is never one lacking for confidence, and most would agree that he probably shouldn’t be heading into his championship rematch against Michael Bisping in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., June 4, 2016) UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Bisping finally got his first UFC title shot when former champion Chris Weidman was forced to pull out of his rematch with Rockhold due to a serious neck issue, and the overall belief is that Rockhold will run through ‘The Count’ like he already did once before.
But apparently the champ thinks it will be a tougher fight than his original match-up with Weidman would have been.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour today (Tues., May 31, 2016) Rockhold caught word that Weidman, who had appeared on the show right before him, called his rematch with Bisping “the easiest title fight ever,” he refuted that notion by saying “The Count” is actually a harder fight thanks to his tactical approach:
“I think he mighta been easier. That’s my opinion. I think Bisping’s a little bit funner, you know, it’s more tactical, I’m going to enjoy it more, it’s going to be funner for the fans, where Weidman just kind of fights ugly and fights with his balls, comes forward and might get a little sloppy. I’d pick him off fairly early; I think he overextends. But Bisping, I can play around with him a little more and pick him off, and pick my kill shot. I think they’re both in the same department; I think I’ll finish this fight in similar fashion.”
Rockhold expanded on the viewpoint, stating that Bisping offers more opportunity to look for his shots and make adjustments:
“I like tactical battles, I like outsmarting them, I like adjusting and making my points, where Weidman just kind of fights like an idiot. He just runs forward and exposes himself and kind of overcommits and relies on his toughness, where Bisping tries to make it more tactical, and I enjoy that; that process of finding my shots and out-doing them; outsmarting them and putting them away.”
There’s no doubting that Rockhold’s technical skills have been a sight to behold since he was unceremoniously sent packing by a Vitor Belfort spin kick in his first UFC bout. That loss obviously motivated him to evolve into a new and more polished combatant, as he’s looked nearly untouchable ever since.
And for his first title defense of the vaunted UFC middleweight title, Rockhold is predicting he’ll outsmart Bisping and put him away like no one’s ever seen before. Read on to find out his bold prediction.
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