Luke Rockhold: ‘I’m going to treat Michael Bisping like he needs to be treated’

Luke Rockhold: ‘I’m going to treat Michael Bisping like he needs to be treated’

In anticipation of his headlining bout versus Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 55 in November, former Strikeforce middleweight champion turned UFC fighter Luke Rockhold joined AXS TV’s INSIDE MMA tonight for an interview with series hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten. In addition to breaking down his matchup with Bisping, Rockhold went into detail about the history of their relationship going back to a sparring match years ago.

Fight fans will remember Bisping for his disparaging comments regarding the slew of incoming fighters following the UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce back in 2012. During an appearance on SPIKE’s MMA Uncensored Live, Bisping dismissed Rockhold and his fellow Strikeforce fighters as viable contenders, while declaring himself the “unofficial Strikeforce champion” after a sparring session with Rockhold

“Whether he said it as a joke or not, he basically said it’s out of defense because he was afraid I was going to come [into the UFC] and jump him in one for a shot [at the belt],” Rockhold told AXS TV. “He basically just proved exactly what I thought he was. I’ve heard so many bad stories about him from behind the scenes. It seems he’s only nice to people to further himself in his career rather than just be nice to everybody.

“They say treat people like you want to be treated, and I’m gonna treat Bisping like he needs to be treated.”

UFC Fight Night 55 is scheduled to take place at the Allphones Arena in Sydney on Nov. 8. The highly anticipated grudge matchup between Rockhold and Bipsing will serve as the night’s main event. The entire card will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Here is how the rest of the card is shaping up: