UFC 199 Michael Bisping Vs Luke Rockhold 2: ‘I’ll Give You A Half A Round, Bisping’

On June 4, Michael Bisping (29-7-0) will challenge Luke Rockhold (15-2-0) for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 199. This will be the second time these two combatants square off. The fight was just announced on Wednesday, giving Bisping just a little over two weeks to prepare. The main event for UFC 199 was supposed to be a rematch between Rockhold and the man he beat for the UFC Middleweight Championship last December, Chris Weidman. Weidman pulled out of the fight because of a neck injury that may result in surgery. The title fight was then offered to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who also declined because of an injury (the fighter underwent knee surgery on Thursday). In a joint interview between Bisping and Rockhold on UFC Tonight, Bisping said,

“Well obviously Chris Weidman, yet again, pulled out of a fight. ‘Jacare’ decided that he had no b**** so of course they needed a real fighter to step in—a fighter’s fighter. Somebody with the heart and determination that’s willing to do this. So look no further than yours truly.”

Bisping has been spending his time on set, since he stars as Hawk in the latest installment of the action franchise xXx(Triple X), starring Vin Diesel. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Bisping said,

Obviously, first and foremost, my intention is that I’m a fighter but, I’ve been trying to shift away to an acting career for a number of years now.”

I’ve been managing to train for #ufc199 but had a quick scene to film today for… https://t.co/XLsBPLtQI0

— michael (@bisping) May 20, 2016

In their first contest, Rockhold beat Bisping in the second round via submission. Since then, Bisping has won his last three fights (by decision), making him the fourth-ranked UFC fighter in the UFC middleweight division. The fighter, along with his fans, has been anxious for a rematch with Rockhold. But with such short notice, and a very busy schedule, Bisping was asked (in the joint interview) if there was any hesitation in taking this bout, to which the English fighter replied,

“No absolutely not, listen I know Luke. I know that I lost the last fight, but believe-you-me I’ve been in there; I know what he’s capable of. There’s nothing about Luke that scares me so why would I hesitate? Not for one second. Listen, I’m a fighter, through and through, and I’ve got more heart and more determination than anybody so I’m taking this fight, yes on short notice but that doesn’t matter. I hit as hard and as fast in the first week of camp as I do in the last week of camp. So it doesn’t matter whether it’s two week’s notice or ten week’s notice, I’m coming for Luke Rockhold. All the pressure is on him. Be careful Luke, I’m coming.”

Luke Rockhold didn’t seem fazed by Bisping’s words and the champion weighed in:

“…I want to congratulate him [Bisping] on his retirement; sounds like he has a nice budding movie career, so I’m excited to send him off into the sunset.

A war of words ensued and Rockhold added,

“…Weidman was going to get a beating, ‘Jacare’ would’ve gotten whooped, you’re going to get slaughtered…last time it was a mistake letting you get out of the first round; this time it won’t happen, I will not let you leave. I’ll give you a half a round, Bisping.”

“It’s your destiny to be my b****.”

Currently, Vegas has the odds with Rockhold being a -1050 (10 to 1) favorite. Bisping is no doubt the underdog in this UFC 199 main event, but that doesn’t matter to him. In a recent interview on The Luke Thomas Show, Bisping said he plans on ending the fight early.

“… I’ve stopped guys in the first round plenty of times before, albeit earlier in my career. I’m going to go back to that animalistic fighting style, which I have inside me. I’m going to go out on my sword and I tell you what, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. Luke Rockhold better be ready.”

With 10-to-one odds and a busy schedule, and despite Bisping’s confident statements, most experts believe that this will not be much of a matchup. While Michael Bisping has been filming a movie, Luke Rockhold has been training and preparing to defend the UFC Championship. He may have been preparing for a different opponent, but he has been training, nonetheless. The fighter recently tweeted:

Switching opponents is like switching stances. It’s all on how you adjust. Mind over matter… https://t.co/d9IJS82n9n

— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) May 19, 2016

Many think it will take a miracle for Bisping to beat Rockhold for the UFC title, and even Bisping told Luke Thomas,

“If people can walk around, and I don’t mean this in a disrespectful way to religious people, but if you believe the son of God came down to earth 2,000 years ago and he killed himself for our sins, and he walked on water, and there’s a God up there looking after ourselves, and if you get on your knees and pray to him that things will change; if you can believe that, then you can believe that I can knock the [expletive] out of Luke Rockhold two weeks from Saturday.”

With recent UFC underdogs like Dominick Cruz, Miesha Tate, and Stipe Miocic unexpectedly winning their matchups, this may be the era for upsets; whether it is by skill or a little bit of luck, Bisping looks to add his name to that list after his fight with champion Luke Rockhold.

UFC 199: Bisping vs. Rockhold 2 airs live on PPV on June 4, from The Forum, in Inglewood, CA, at 7 p.m. ET.

[Photo credit: Matt King/Getty Images]