Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold have been going back-and-forth since even before they were announced to fight at UFC 194 on Dec. 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada (more on that fight here).
Whether it's on social media or live interviews, the two men aren't afraid to downplay the skills of the other and aren't shy about speaking their minds. That's just what Weidman did last week, after he declared that he doesn't see how an "insecure" Rockhold can take him out.
That was enough to set Luke off, as he appeared on The MMA Hour and warned "All American" that he's facing a different animal, unlike his previous opponents who were a shell of their former selves.
"I don't see where he sees weakness in my game and what I have brought to the table. I've been in some tough battles through my career and he has seen a lot of those in the past, back in my Strikeforce days and I think I've proven myself even more-so now. People have seen the war, in UFC and Strikeforce, and they now what I am capable of. I can dig deep and I just don't know where he thinks he is going to break me. I think he is underestimating every part of my game. He is going to be surprised when he tries to wrestle and I'm shutting him down everywhere. This will ultimately end up on the feet. I don't see what he brings to the table. He's fought a bunch of guys that were scared of him. He fought a one-legged spider, a fireless dragon and an old lion with his balls cut off. I mean, this time he's facing a different animal and I'm going to bring it to him on all levels and shut him down."
If you haven't figured it out by now, Rockhold was taking aim at Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Vitor Belfort, the last three men Weidman faced and defeated.
But in Rockhold's view, the best days were apparently behind those veterans, and when Weidman steps into the Octagon this December, he'll be facing a combatant who is at the top of his game.
And before you start clowning Rockhold for losing to Belfort, he wants you to know that the man he fought back in 2013 is an entirely different one than the "saggy" opponent Weidman faced at UFC 187.