UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping checked out former middleweight champion Luke Rckhold’s return at UFC Fight Night Pittsburgh.
While Rockhold did get the win over David Branch at the event, the middleweight champion wasn’t too impressed by what he saw.
“I thought that he looked very sloppy, if I’m honest,” Bisping said on The MMA Hour. “He has a problem with people that can box, people that can get inside. He landed some good shots, the other guy David Branch, and if he had a bit more pop, he could’ve taken Luke out of there. So yeah, listen, congratulations, job well done. [Rockhold] got the finish in the second round, but he needs to be careful, because there’s a lot that could’ve been improved upon, let’s say that.”
Bisping won the middleweight title when he defeated Rockhold by first round knockout at UFC 199.
The Middleweight champion also heard the post-fight interview from Rockhold and found it odd that the former middleweight champion never said his name.
“I noticed that Luke didn’t say my name either,” Bisping said. “He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He talked lots of sh*t and he implied my name many, many times, but he never actually went ahead and said it, which I thought was very cute. But listen, good for him, he’s back on track. Obviously he wants to get a rematch, he wants to get his belt back, and that’s what he should want to do, God bless him. I mean, we’re all fighters, we all want to be champion, so he’s doing the right thing. I don’t fault him for anything he said, really. He’s trying to make noise, he’s trying to get a title fight again. Ultimately, he chose to take 15 months off. He went away from the sport for a little bit, and he’s back and good for him.”
UFC 217 takes place on Saturday, November 4 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with Michael Bisping and Georges St. Pierre headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
