Luke Rockhold isn’t thrilled with Dana White’s recent comments. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder last competed against Michael Bisping back in June 2016. He lost his championship via first-round knockout. Bisping has since defended his 185-pound gold against Dan Henderson and was scheduled to make his next defense against Georges St-Pierre. […]
Luke Rockhold isn’t thrilled with Dana White’s recent comments. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder last competed against Michael Bisping back in June 2016. He lost his championship via first-round knockout. Bisping has since defended his 185-pound gold against Dan Henderson and was scheduled to make his next defense against Georges St-Pierre. […]
Recently, Dana White had a harsh response for former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold’s demand that the stacked UFC 185-pound division receive some official clarity after the entire roster had been put on hold for the not-so-anticipated Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre title fight, which was supposed to take place sometime after October. The UFC granted
Recently, Dana White had a harsh response for former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold’s demand that the stacked UFC 185-pound division receive some official clarity after the entire roster had been put on hold for the not-so-anticipated Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre title fight, which was supposed to take place sometime after October.
The UFC granted that when White finally announced that Bisping vs. St-Pierre was off the table and “The Count” would taking on the real number one contender in surging Cuban wrestling specialist Yoel Romero. That seemed like what the rest of the middleweight division and a majority of the fans wanted, yet White seemed to take Rockhold’s request out of context when he fired back by saying Rockhold had just been knocked out and didn’t deserve a title shot, comparing him to a welterweight who just earned one:
“Listen, I was thinking about this when I talked to some of the media here yesterday: A lot of the guys are talking about deserve, deserve, nobody deserves anything. You have to earn it here, you know what I’m saying?”
“These guys want to sit around, you got Rockhold screaming, “I deserve this…’ you got knocked out in the first round, you don’t deserve anything, you have to earn it and Maia earned it.”
Photo Credit: Jake Roth for USA TODAY Sports
While it’s true that Rockhold’s massive upset loss to Bisping in the main event of last June’s UFC 199 was the bout that set the division into its current state of upheaval, Rockhold was quick to respond that he didn’t say he deserved a title shot coming off of a loss.
All he wanted was a clear direction for the division, which could legitimately be described as one of the deepest in MMA right now; one that gave the many talented competitors in its ranks something definite to fight for. Having St-Pierre, who was of course the most dominant welterweight champion of all-time, fight for the middleweight belt coming off of a nearly four-year long layoff and never having fought in the division, wasn’t deserved in Rockhold’s mind:
@danawhite I never said I deserved a title shot. I said we (middleweights) deserve clarity. We deserve something to fight for.
White then responded to Rockhold, saying that while he never usually responded, St-Pierre never lost his belt, and it was a fight that both wanted (along with the fans, or so he said), so perhaps Rockhold should stick to fighting and leave the matchmaking up to the UFC:
There’s certainly no doubt that St-Pierre was and still is one of the company’s biggest stars and pay-per-view draws, so it’s really not that hard to imagine the UFC booking him in pretty much any fight he wants for his return, especially during a year so star-starved as 2017. It’s also hard to deny that his premature ‘return’ for a press conference announcing the bout in March was entirely too early with him planning on fighting in October or later, and that undoubtedly lead to the promotion being forced to cancel it in an effort to move the middleweight division along.
So while White may have a point or two, Rockhold didn’t specifically ask for a title shot, and it seems everyone is glad that Bisping will finally defend his title against a rightful number one contender.
Luke Rockhold escalated his disagreement with Dana White on Tuesday, telling the UFC president to “Think before you run your mouth” on Twitter.
The comments are in response to White’s pushback against Rockhold’s suggestion the UFC shouldn’t be putting…
Luke Rockhold escalated his disagreement with Dana White on Tuesday, telling the UFC president to “Think before you run your mouth” on Twitter.
The comments are in response to White’s pushback against Rockhold’s suggestion the UFC shouldn’t be putting together matchups like Georges St-Pierre vs. Michael Bisping at the expense of top contenders.
White seemed none too pleased with Rockhold for expressing that opinion.
“There’s a lot of guys talking about ‘deserve’—nobody deserves anything,” White said at the UFC 211 post-fight press conference, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “You’ve got to earn it here. You’ve got [Luke] Rockhold screaming right now, ‘I deserve this.’ You just got knocked out in the first round. You’ve got to come back and earn it.”
He continued: “The guy just got knocked out in the first round by Bisping, and he thinks he deserves this and he deserves that. You earn it. You want to come back and you want to fight for the title? Get back in here and earn it. That’s it.”
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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In mixed martial arts, some fighters are quite verbal, willing to speak their mind and say whatever it takes in order to get what they want. Other fighters, on the other hand, are willing to remain quiet and are content with letting their fighting speak for them. Demian Maia, the No. 3-ranked welterweight contender in
In mixed martial arts, some fighters are quite verbal, willing to speak their mind and say whatever it takes in order to get what they want. Other fighters, on the other hand, are willing to remain quiet and are content with letting their fighting speak for them.
Demian Maia, the No. 3-ranked welterweight contender in the world, is a fighter completely against trash talking. He doesn’t say much, but he has quietly racked up seven consecutive victories, most recently scoring a split-decision win over No. 6-ranked Jorge Masvidal at UFC 211 this past weekend (May 13, 2017) in Dallas, Texas.
After the victory, Maia knelt before UFC President Dana White, begging for the title shot he so obviously deserved. White appeared to grant the Brazilian grappling guru his wish, saying after the event that ‘Maia earned it.’
While being verbal has seemed to help some fighters in today’s day and age, White also said that some fighters feel as if they deserve everything. The UFC boss specifically noted former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who hasn’t competed since being knocked out by Michael Bisping last June, but recently voiced his displeasure with the UFC’s matchmaking in the 185-pound division:
“Listen, I was thinking about this when I talked to some of the media here yesterday: A lot of the guys are talking about deserve, deserve, nobody deserves anything. You have to earn it here, you know what I’m saying?” explained White during the post fight presser.
“These guys want to sit around, you got Rockhold screaming, “I deserve this…’ you got knocked out in the first round, you don’t deserve anything, you have to earn it and Maia earned it,” he added.
While Rockhold may have a point, as Bisping has experienced quite a strange title reign since winning the title, perhaps White is on to something here. The UFC has seemed to have strayed away from a rankings system in recent memory, making some question the legitimacy of the sport.
Maia receiving a title shot, however, could once again validate the UFC as a legitimate league. While being more verbal could have certainly propelled him to a title shot faster, the soft spoken and humble Maia has stuck to his guns, refusing to drift away from the values and morals that are buried so deeply inside of him. Instead, he’s taken out each contender the UFC has put in front of him since May 2014, submitting three of them.
What do you make of White’s comments? Do you feel as if Rockhold should take a different approach in landing a big fight, or is it reasonable that he would attempt to follow the lead of the many stars who have increased their verbal output in MMA over the last few years?
Late last night the mixed martial arts world was shook by the news that UFC President Dana White was ready to call off the rumored Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre middleweight title fight, a bout that had drawn the collective (and increasing) disdain of many fans and fighters alike since it was announced with a
Late last night the mixed martial arts world was shook by the news that UFC President Dana White was ready to call off the rumored Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre middleweight title fight, a bout that had drawn the collective (and increasing) disdain of many fans and fighters alike since it was announced with a high-profile press conference in March.
Many of the top combatants in the stacked middleweight division, including top contender Yoel Romero and former champions Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold, correctly called it a fight that did nothing but clog up an already crowded title queue, especially considering the fact St-Pierre recently confirmed he would only be ready to fight after October.
So White apparently called the bout off last night, and St-Pierre provided his thoughts on the matter to MMA Fighting, noting that he still wants to fight “The Count” and adding that White may just be speaking from emotion:
“I want to fight Bisping and I think Bisping wants to fight me. I just learned the news. I don’t know what to say. It might be an emotional response by Dana or maybe it’s to put pressure on me.”
Photo by Joe Camporeale for USA TODAY Sports
The next 185-pound title shot will reportedly now go to Romero, but it’s unclear if St-Pierre, who’s said he’s only looking for the biggest of fights in his return from a nearly four-year absence, would face Romero for the title if he defeats Bisping as the early odds would have us believe.
Most hardcore fight fans acknowledge the brutalizing “Soldier of God” is far and away the most deserving middleweight contender, but St-Pierre focused on the opinion that those fighters left out in the dark on a big fight are simply an unfortunate result of the individual-focused fight game:
“In this sport, among fighters, when one fighter gets an opportunity, it always leaves more fighters unhappy than happy.
“It’s the nature of a one-man sport. I’ve been there.”
That may be true, but it’s also hard to justify holding up arguably one of the most talented divisions in the sport to await the potential return of a legendary former welterweight champion who has never even fought at 185. It also opens up the door for the promotion to finally book the long-rumored Silva vs. St-Pierre fight sometime down the road, a guaranteed pay-per-view (PPV_ hit even if would happen five years too late.
That the UFC can get the fans off their backs by giving Romero the fight he’s obviously earned, and also gain a super fight that would do much better numbers that Bisping vs. St-Pierre in the first place. It kills two birds with one stone, as they say, yet St-Pierre still seems to want his showdown with “The Count,” perhaps because he thinks he’s an easily beatable champion.
Perhaps he should have forced the issue of his return more forcefully after hinting at it for more than three-and-a-half years.
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold spoke his mind during an appearance on The MMA Hour Monday. And it was feisty. Rockhold, who is currently without a scheduled fight after being forced to the sidelines with an injury, believes the UFC’s 185-pound division should force the promotion they work for to do something. “I think […]
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold spoke his mind during an appearance on The MMA Hour Monday. And it was feisty. Rockhold, who is currently without a scheduled fight after being forced to the sidelines with an injury, believes the UFC’s 185-pound division should force the promotion they work for to do something. “I think […]
Luke Rockhold escalated his disagreement with 
