Count Agrees to Unretire for Trilogy Against longtime Rival Rockhold

5 Likes

1 Like

Fans have been pestering Michael Bisping to complete his trilogy with Luke Rockhold.

After much persistence, it sounds like “The Count” has finally agreed to lace up the gloves for one more fight — but it won’t be inside the Octagon. Instead, Bisping is willing to test his might inside “The Pit” for Karate Combat at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Hopefully his eye doesn’t pop out during the bout.

“Luke Rockhold (at Karate Combat 45) – I was doing a live (stream) to it,” Bisping said on his official podcast (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “And everyone was like, ‘You’ve got to do the trilogy.’ I’ll do Karate Combat against Luke Rockhold. I’ll do it. I will have a trilogy with Luke Rockhold in Karate Combat. I would love to. Let me just see my hip doctor first and get my neck sorted. I’m joking. I’d do it – 100 percent I would. Let’s go.”

Rockhold defeated Bisping by submission at UFC Fight Night 55 back in late 2014, but was stopped in their UFC 199 rematch nearly two years later. Rockhold, 39, eventually parted ways with UFC and has since competed for BKFC and Karate Combat, scoring a knockout win over Joe Schilling earlier this month.

As for Bisping, 45, he retired from UFC after losing to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Shanghai, citing health concerns (which include this). Despite their ages and the collective wear-and-tear on their bodies, it’s hard to imagine Karate Combat promoters passing on the opportunity to cash in on this longstanding rivalry.

Time will tell.

1 Like

@Captain_Kaboom

1 Like

is bisping still under contract with the UFC?

2 Likes

Sure he is! The dude’s just gettin a new eyeball, lol!

5 Likes

how do you pass a physical with a missing eye?

6 Likes

Same way he did it when he won the championship, I’d guess.

3 Likes

I thought I heard he never told them about the eye, it’s common knowledge now

7 Likes

I mean. Right. But if the doctors administering the physical didnt catch he was missing a fucking eyeball…it was common knowledge at the time he had been kicked by turbo vitor and had major eye problems. One woulda thunk they would have focused in on that, and maybe picked up on the fact that it was glass.

2 Likes

es normal

3 Likes

This would be wicked.

Then have Hisaki Kato come back for a trilogy fight with Schilling lol fuck it!

3 Likes

It makes you wonder the extent to which the promoter and AC coordinate to push through events. Like, did they send in “the company man” to look at the Count? I imagine it’s a lot like sending Chael or Ken Shamrock into the ring… the worked fight starts in the back room before the match begins.

1 Like

Nah, fuck all that

ee7d87f1-e03c-48ac-b2bc-bfc46e486869_text

3 Likes

UFC seriously needs a pankration division for guys over 40-45, especially if they’re not implementing a retirement plan any time soon. Keep them under the umbrella getting checks, 3X3 rounds of padding to open a PPV, kinda like WMMA now but people would actually care and get good nostalgia.

2 Likes

I wish the guy wouldn’t but it’s not my vision.

He can do what he wants!

1 Like

:rofl:

I see what you did there!

1 Like

Eye Do to

KILLIN Hammer

1 Like