Bisping knocked out Rockhold in R1. Photo: Reproduction
Even in the most rivalry fights in the UFC, it is common to see fighters putting their animosity aside and being cordial after the fight is over. This was not what happened in the fight between Michael Bisping e Luke Rockhold. After the Englishman's victory by knockout, both athletes continued to be in high spirits at the press conference, which Bisping attributes to the rival's “bad loser” mentality.
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In an interview with the podcast “The MMA Hour”, the new middleweight champion explained why he and Rockhold remained angry after the end of the duel. “I got past Luke and, as I always do, win or lose, I shook hands with my opponent. I shook his hand and it was sincere. Afterwards, I was enjoying the moment, circling the octagon, and I passed Luke again, so I didn't want to ignore him. I went to reiterate my feelings, say 'I love you, man', but he told me 'I already shook your hand', in an aggressive way, and looked at me with a dirty look. So this is how it's going to be? Will you be a bad loser? So go f*** yourself”, he detailed.
However, Bisping reflected on what happened and admitted that he wished he had acted differently. “I said some things because I thought he was being an asshole. But yeah, I kind of regret that. I wish I had been more noble, ignored and laughed, but I'm an emotional guy. He completely took away the credit from me. At the press conference, he called me a vermin, said he was going to kill me… I thought 'whoa, whoa, wait a minute, partner. You got knocked out two minutes ago, relax a little,'” he said.
Bisping and Rockhold were in the main fight of UFC 199, on June 4th. On that occasion, the Englishman won with an impressive knockout in the first round to become the new champion of the 84 kg category.
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