Luke Rockhold was on the losing end of one of the biggest upsets in MMA history this past Saturday when he lost the UFC middleweight title to Michael Bisping via first-round knockout. Bisping took the fight on two weeks notice.
Understandably, Rockhold was as surprised as the rest of the MMA world by the outcome of the UFC 199 main event.
“I believe I had control of that fight from the beginning,” Rockhold said at the post-fight press conference. “I just over-committed, and he caught me. Bisping’s a tough dude. I’ve always said it. He’s a warrior, and he’ll hang in there. Obviously I didn’t respect him enough. I was over-committing. I tried something I normally don’t do. I usually don’t commit with the jab. I take my time, and I work my way in. I got caught, and I guess destiny is real, but it’s not going to last very long, because I will have my belt back.”
“You got lucky,” he added, speaking directly to man who took the belt from him. “Bisping, I will come back and f**king kill you. You enjoy your short-lived destiny, my friend. Mark my words.”
Leading up to UFC 199 Bisping talked often about how he felt it was his destiny to win the championship on June 4th. The Brit may have fulfilled his destiny in California, but the former champ doesn’t intend to allow his hated rival to bathe in glory for very long.
“Look, Bisping’s a d**k, but he’s a warrior, he’s tough, and he’s going to hang in there,” Rockhold said. “I gave him an opportunity, and he made the most of it. Give me an opportunity, and it will be the end of it. I think I’ve earned mine, but I will do what I have to do. But it will be a short-lived destiny.”
