UFC middleweight title challenger Luke Rockhold is friendly with Chris Weidman outside the cage, having watched the champ’s rise alongside his while they were fighting in smaller promotions. But their upcoming title fight at UFC 194 has brought out the most vocal competitor within him.

Assessing the champ’s fighting skills, Rockhold (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) didn’t give undefeated Weidman (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) much credit for what he’s done so far, at one point claiming he’d “fought a bunch of guys that are scared of him.”

Anderson Silva? Lyoto Machida? Vitor Belfort? All Weidman victims, and none of them up to muster, according to the challenger.

“I think he’s getting a little bit better, here and there,” Rockhold said during a media luncheon in support of Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. “But I still see him get overaggressive, which obviously causes him to be clumsy and leave openings. He hasn’t fought anybody that can exploit the holes in his game.”

It wouldn’t be the first time a fighter has talked confidently about a fight, of course, and Rockhold’s words arrive before one of the most anticipated events on the UFC’s schedule. If the former Strikeforce champion wants to make people care about a fight relegated to the co-main event by the massive featherweight title-unifier between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, then it behooves Rockhold to be a little bit cocky and talk more than he usually would.

There’s been none of the overheated exchanges seen prior to Rockhold’s meeting this past year with Michael Bisping, which lined him up for Weidman after a 2013 knockout loss to Vitor Belfort stalled his title plans. But the way Rockhold paints his title fight, there’s a mismatch about to go down in Las Vegas.

Promotional hype or not, Rockhold believes it’s time to step into the spotlight.

“He’s fighting a guy that’s better than him on the ground and that can defend his wrestling and can fight him on the feet – and pick him apart, I believe,” Rockhold said. “I really think I can control this fight wherever it goes. He’s got to pick his poison. Does he want to get beat on feet or does he want to get beat on the ground? His back has never touched the mat, and it surely will in this fight.”

Weidman laughed as Rockhold talked up the fight this past week during a media conference call, interrupting one diatribe about dominating the fight to say, “I can’t wait.”

Current betting lines show Weidman to be a slight favorite to retain his belt in what would be his fourth title defense. The margin is the most narrow since his pair of title fights against future UFC Hall of Famer Silva.

“He thinks he’s a smart fighter,” Rockhold proclaimed of Weidman. “He’s OK. He’s got a decent fight IQ until he gets hit, until things don’t go his way,” Rockhold said. “Then he just sacks up, bites down on his mouthpiece, and tries to be the tough guy. That’s where he’s really going to find trouble. I’m going to push him to that point, and I’m going to outclass him and dominate and finish him. That’s how I see the fight.

“Almost every time I see a fight, it comes out that way. And I’ve played this over and over in my head, week after week, month after month.”

For the latest on UFC 194, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.