Luke Rockhold wants to 'slap the sh-t' out of Conor McGregor, who is nowhere near Ronda Rousey's level

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim featherweight titleholder Conor McGregor is really good at getting under people's skin.

Look no further than the promotion's recent "Go Big" press conference, where "Notorious" took it upon himself to hurl insults and challenge just about every available fighter on stage (video replay here).

It's those types of outbursts that either make you love the fiery Irishman or downright despise him. For Luke Rockhold, it's an equal balance, as he recently told TMZ Sports that he's often entertained with Conor's antics, but still wants to "slap the shit out of him" from time-to-time.

And as far as putting himself at the top of the game with Ronda Rousey, Luke says Conor has a long way to go before he reaches "Rowdy's" status.

"He's a lot smaller than he says he is, literally and figuratively. He's a great fighter, a good fighter. But he's unproven. He's the No. 1 contender, he's not a champion. We'll see what he's capable of. I think he's got a lot of holes in his game. He's got a fighting country behind him and he's a great talker, he's great for the sport. There can only be so many of them, but I'm lying if I say I'm not entertained by him at some points. But the other times, I want to slap the shit out of him. The guy is a loud mouth, comparing himself to Van Gogh and Ali. He's even comparing himself to Rousey. Rousey is up here and you are down here, buddy. Work your way up, take your time, and practice some humility."

It's McGregor's talking -- in all honesty -- that initially earned him the combat sports spotlight. To his credit, the interim 145-pound champion made sure to keep it shining on himself by walking the walk once inside the Octagon.

The proof is in the proverbial pudding.

Unfortunately for Luke, he'll never get the chance to slap Conor -- at least not in a sanctioned fight -- as the two men are separated by more than 40 pounds. They will, however, share the spotlight on Dec. 12, 2015 as McGregor will headline UFC 194 opposite Jose Aldo.

Rockhold, meanwhile, will co-spearhead the card as he takes on middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

For more on that upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event click here.