UFC middleweight title challenger Luke Rockhold is enjoying a back-and-forth with champ Chris Weidman in advance of their showdown at UFC 194. It’s a coping strategy as much as anything else, he admitted.

“I’m a competitive person, and a little heated battle builds it up,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “It’s fun to me. It’s a little more motivation for me to train, and I think it’s good for the fans too.”

Rockhold (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), an ex-Strikeforce champ, has waited more than two years to fight for the UFC belt and will do it on Dec. 12 when he meets the reigning titleholder, Weidman (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) on a talent-packed UFC 194 pay-per-view card at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Rockhold’s initial bid for the middleweight crown was delayed when ex-champ and perennial contender Vitor Belfort caught him with a spinning heel kick and knocked him out in 2013. It marked Rockhold’s UFC debut and is his only loss since 2007.

His response was to go on a four-fight winning streak that put him in title contention. The one opponent who obliged a war of words – the always brash Michael Bisping – did not fare well in the cage; Rockhold earned a first-round submission win.

“You saw what happened with Bisping; we built that thing up,” Rockhold said. “It was heated, and what happened went down in the cage? I picked him apart like a little boy. And that’s what I’m going to do to Weidman.”

Weidman has so far called Rockhold insecure and accused him of faking confidence for a bout he expects to be one-sided. The way Rockhold sees it, the trash-talk is only going to get worse leading up to the fight. But that’s a good thing.

“The closer you get, you start torturing yourself day in and day out, and you realize that this guy’s trying to take this all from you,” he said. “This guy’s making you get up out of bed when you’re beaten and broken and don’t want any more, and you’ve got to go train. This guy is training to take your livelihood and your dream. It definitely gets personal as it builds up.

“It’s already started, and I’m telling you it’s going to escalate.”

Of course, words mean little before the actual fighting starts in the octagon. Weidman is a narrow favorite in betting lines to make his fourth title defense. A standout collegiate wrestler and submission grappler, he’s expected to have the advantage if the fight goes to the ground. The champ said he doesn’t need to go to the ground and claims he’s better in every department with the exception of his looks.

Rockhold naturally doesn’t see it the same way – except perhaps on his appearance – and promises to bully Weidman around the cage.

“We both are guys that are pressure fighters,” he said. “We both come forward. We both control the octagon. It’s who’s going to win that battle. Weidman’s going to come forward. I’m going to come forward. I’m going to put my left leg f-cking right up wherever it goes. He’s going to realize what he’s in for, and then he’s going to start backpedaling, and then we’re going to fight my fight.”

When that happens, Rockhold said, he’ll be more concerned about not getting too carried away. With so much fuel built up over the past three months, the challenge is not burning it all at once.

“I’m not going to go Nick Diaz and lay down on the canvas, but I think it’s a show of confidence,” he said. “It’s the subtleties of the fight. I’m a fighter at heart. I try to be as technical as possible, but I like a good brawl.”

For more on UFC 194, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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