Michael Bisping to Luke Rockhold: ‘I’ve Got No Problem Knocking You Out Again’

Luke Rockhold’s days fighting at 185 pounds may be numbered. Michael Bisping’s days fighting may be numbered — period.

With that in mind, there may be no better time for a trilogy fight between the two rivals, at least according to “The Count.” Bisping’s future has remained unclear since being finished twice in a three-week span by Georges St. Pierre and Kelvin Gastelum in November. The outspoken Brit initially targeted a farewell bout at UFC Fight Night 127 in London on March 17 before removing himself from consideration for the event. He also admitted that friends and family have urged him to call it quits without stepping into the Octagon for one last hurrah.

Rockhold, who Bisping upset at UFC 199 to claim the middleweight title, might be just the opponent to keep the competitive juices flowing. Rockhold earned a second-round submission win over Bisping in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 55.

“I exposed Luke Rockhold,” Bisping said on his "Believe You Me” podcast. “I knocked him out. David Branch nearly knocked him out. Yoel [Romero] knocked him out. I quite literally took his soul, so if he wants me to do it again, that is one that would stoke the fires so to speak.”

Rockhold rebounded from his loss to Bisping to stop Branch in the second round this past September before falling to Romero via third-round knockout in an interim title bout at UFC 221 on Feb. 10. The former UFC and Strikeforce champion has entertained the idea of a move to light heavyweight in recent months, citing an increasingly difficult cut to 185 pounds.

Bisping wouldn’t be averse to moving up a division to face Rockhold for a third time.

“If that motherf—ker wants to throw down at 205, yeah, we can entertain that, buddy,” Bisping said. “I’ve got no problem knocking you out again.”

Retirements in MMA always tend to be fickle in nature, and Bisping’s situation is no different. “The Count” hasn’t called it a career yet, and he even implied that he could have more than one fight left depending on what opportunities arise.

“I still love fighting. Fighting’s what I do, that’s provided me this platform and I still feel like I’ve got at least one more in me,” he said. “I’ve got more than that in me but I’m just saying from my business perspective maybe one more makes sense, maybe two more, maybe no more. We’ll see what the future holds if the deal is right.”