Michael Bisping's latest reunion with Luke Rockhold did not disappoint.
The former UFC champions previously shared one of the most intense rivalries in middleweight history, which ended with a 1-1 win inside the Octagon.
Luke Rockhold dropped 'The Count' with a head kick before tagging him out when they first fought at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia in November 2014
They reunited on short notice at UFC 199 in June 2016. Michael Bisping famously scored a huge first-round knockout to become the UFC Middleweight Champion against all odds.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The best of enemies
Michael Bisping enjoyed rubbing salt in Rockhold's wounds after his title win.
Nearly a decade later, the former enemies have squashed their beef and become friends (sort of).
Now they're reunited for a podcast hosted by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.
It's safe to say their rivalry is still simmering beneath the surface after watching Bisping and Rockhold tease each other for over an hour.
The American fighter kicked things off with a loaded question for Bisping.
Rockhold asked, “Was I the only person who introduced you in your career?”
“No, a welterweight did just as well, so don't worry about it too much,” Bisping fired back, referencing his defeat to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 in November 2017.
Rockhold took things to the next level by seemingly mocking Bisping's eye injury that was caused by a head kick from Vitor Belfort and left him blind in his right eye, which he covers with a prosthetic device.
“I wouldn't like to fight Bisping these days because you'd be in a staredown and you really wouldn't know what the hell he's thinking,” Rockhold joked.
“I already knocked him out once, I can do it again,” Bisping fired back.
The UFC Hall of Famer added: “I gave 100 percent to win that fight.
'He should have been [nervous] because he got fucking knocked out.
Rockhold tried to explain his poor performance at UFC 199 by claiming that he was so confident of beating Bisping again that he approached their rematch the wrong way.
He interjected: “I had no respect for Bisping. I smoked it this first time.”
The Englishman finished Rockhold's apology by ripping out his fake eye to prove he had the ultimate reason for falling short, but he still became a UFC champion.
“Bro, I knocked you out with one damn eye,” Bisping said.
What's next for Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold?
Bisping retired from MMA after suffering back-to-back losses in 2017.
Since then, he has launched a hugely successful entertainment career. The 45-year-old is one of the UFC's favorite commentators and analysts, has a successful YouTube channel and a thriving acting career.
So he'll continue with that, while Rockhold will fight in 2025 despite repeatedly flirting with retirement.
The part-time model lost three of his four fights after being knocked out by Bisping. Since retiring from the UFC in 2022, Rockhold has tried his hand at bare-knuckle boxing, but it didn't go well when Mike Perry gritted his teeth and forced him to quit.
More recently, he knocked out Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 in April 2024.
Rockhold has now signed a deal with new MMA promotion Global Fight League, joining Paige VanZant and a number of other ex-UFC stars in their stacked roster of fighters.
All he has to do now is wait for a debut date and opponent.
Despite their recent back-and-forth, it seems almost certain that Bisping will cheer on Rockhold after the former UFC rivals put aside their differences to become the best of foes.
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