OTTAWA, Canada – Chris Weidman isn’t particularly fond with the way in which Michael Bisping has conducted himself since winning the UFC middleweight title from Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 earlier this month.

Bisping’s (29-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) stunning first-round knockout of Rockhold (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) didn’t earn him a whole lot of respect from former champ Weidman (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), he said.

Weidman once said he could beat Bisping without a training camp under his belt. And while he doesn’t know if he will be next to fight “The Count” due to Bisping’s apparent desire to rematch Dan Henderson in his first defense, Weidman said he still stands by that statement.

“I don’t think there’s one guy in the top 15 that you could be like, ‘Bisping definitely beats that guy,'” Weidman told MMAjunkie. “He’s challenging the No. 13 guy (in the official UFC rankings) right now, and Dan Henderson is honestly, he’s one of my favorite fighters. I’m not saying anything bad about him. But it’s the way the system works, the rankings system. You work your way up in the rankings and right now he’s that low and that’s who Bisping – really that’s the only guy who he’s talking about.

“It’s kind of embarrassing for Bisping, but Bisping got the title, good for him. He’s trying to hold on to it as long as possible and if he can get himself a fight with the No. 13 guy, it probably brings his odds up a bit from anybody else.”

Bisping, No.1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, captured the title in the fastest victory of his 26-fight UFC career when he stopped No. 2-ranked Rockhold with strikes in the first round after accepting the bout on just 17 days’ notice. No. 3-ranked Weidman was slated at the original challenger to Rockhold’s belt at UFC 199, but pulled out of the fight on short notice with a serious neck injury.

Weidman recently had invasive neck surgery to repair the neck issue and said he’s already planning his comeback. He wants a shot at Bisping, but the new champ has other ideas, suggesting “All-American” win a fight first, perhaps against Rockhold.

The fact Bisping is trying to call the shots doesn’t sit particularly well with Weidman, he said.

“All of a sudden he’s the matchmaker – Bisping the matchmaker,” Weidman said. “It’s weird. The guy’s been trying to catch my attention, he’s been trying to talk, and he’s just been talking down on my career since I’ve been in the sport, since I got into the UFC. He’s never said a nice thing about me. Now all of a sudden this guy’s champion and it’s really because of me. He should really just be thanking me, kissing my feet. But instead he’s just opening his mouth trying to discredit me still.”

While Bisping gloats from atop the middleweight mountain Weidman is forced to look up and sit idly by waiting to recover from his recent neck surgery. Weidman said he anticipates a complete recovery within six weeks and intends to return to the octagon at UFC 205 this November in his home state of New York. Whether or not Bisping will be his opponent, though, remains to be seen.

“I’ll be ready to go pretty soon here and I’ll be fighting at (Madison Square Garden) for sure,” Weidman said. “I want to fight for the title, that’s obviously where it’s at, that’s where the moneys at. I want to be able to provide for my family and Bisping would be the easiest fight I’ve had in probably five years. Why not win the title and win a lot of money and have an easy fight all in one time?”

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