'I can do it again'… Michael Bisping removes fake eye and brings up KO during Luke Rockhold reunion
01/03/2025 07:25 AM
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 them going 1-1 inside the Octagon.
Luke Rockhold dropped 'The Count' with a head kick before tapping him out when they first fought at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia in November 2014
They rematched on short notice at UFC 199 in June 2016. Famously, Michael Bisping scored a huge first-round knockout to become the UFC middleweight champion against the odds.
The best of frenemies
Michael Bisping enjoyed rubbing salt into Rockhold's wounds after his title win.
Almost a decade later, the former foes have squashed their beef and (kind of) become friends.
Now they've reunited for a podcast hosted by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.
It's safe to say their rivalry still simmers below the surface after watching Bisping and Rockhold banter each other for more than an hour.
The American fighter kicked things off with a loaded question for Bisping.
Rockhold asked: "Was I the only person to submit you in your career?"
"No, a welterweight did as well, so don't get all hard about it," Bisping fired back, referencing his submission 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 Vitor Belfort head kick and has left him blind in his right eye, which he covers with a prosthetic.
“I'd hate to fight Bisping these days because you'd get in a staredown and really wouldn't know what the f*** he's thinking," Rockhold joked.
"I've knocked him out once before, I can do it again," Bisping fired back.
The UFC Hall of Famer added: "I 100 percent stepped in to win that fight.
"He should've been [nervous] because he got knocked the f*** out."
Rockhold tried to explain his poor showing at UFC 199 by claiming he was so confident of beating Bisping again that he approached their rematch in the wrong manner.
He interjected: "I was disrespectful of Bisping. I smoked his a** this first time."
The Englishman shut down Rockhold's excuses by ripping out his fake eye to prove he had the ultimate reason to fall short, but he still became a UFC champion.
"Bro, I knocked you out with one f***ing 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's launched a massively successful entertainment career. The 45-year-old is one of the UFC's go-to commentators and analysts as well as running a successful YouTube channel and boasting a blossoming 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 KO'd by Bisping. Since parting ways with the UFC in 2022, Rockhold has tried bare-knuckle boxing, but that didn't go well as Mike Perry caved his teeth and made him 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 bunch of other ex-UFC stars on 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 be cheering on Rockhold after the former UFC rivals put aside their differences to become the best of frenemies.
