Sometimes grudges are held forever, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with former UFC Middleweight Champions Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold.
The history between Bisping and Rockhold is well-documented. They shared the Octagon twice. In the leadup to both fights, the two hurled verbal jabs at one another. Rockhold won the first meeting back in November 2014 via submission. The two embraced after the fight, and many thought the beef had been squashed.
Things changed dramatically ahead of the June 2016 rematch. Bisping was quick to fire off insults, while Rockhold brushed “The Count” off and dismissed him as a viable contender. After all, Bisping received the opportunity due to an injury that Chris Weidman suffered.
Bisping defied the odds and pulled off a massive upset victory via first-round knockout. With the win, Bisping captured the UFC middleweight title. Unlike their first meeting, the two exchanged heated words after the fight.
Fast forward to June 2021, and it appears things are rather cordial between the two. In fact, Bisping posted an image and a video (click on the right arrow within the Instagram post to watch it) on his Instagram account, revealing that he actually rolled with Rockhold inside the RVCA gym.
Bisping retired back in 2018. His final fight took place in late November 2017. He was knocked out by Kelvin Gastelum less than a month after losing the UFC 185-pound gold to Georges St-Pierre. “The Count” eventually revealed that he has a prosthetic eye after suffering an eye injury in his fighting career.
Rockhold is still a member of the UFC roster. He hasn’t had a fight since July 2019 when he was knocked out by current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz. Rockhold has gone 1-2 after suffering the loss to Bisping.
