Former UFC champ Luke Rockhold no fan of ‘chaos’ in middleweight division

Luke Rockhold rests between rounds as he fights Chris Weidman in a middleweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 194, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

Not everyone was thrilled with former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre’s decision to come out of retirement, particularly after it was announced he would get an immediate shot at the middleweight title.

Former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold believes St. Pierre’s infusion, combined with champion Michael Bisping’s title defense last October against Dan Henderson, who was not among the top 10 at 185 pounds, has thrown the division into “chaos.”

“I think they’re running down a slippery slope,” Rockhold said on “UFC Tonight.” “Things could get out of hand. Georges isn’t going to fight anybody at the top of the division if he wins, and Bisping could be in the same boat. I’m bummed they took this route. It’s taking away from the sport. It’s about the top guys fighting each other. This isn’t WWE. This is fighting. When you see it, it makes you question a lot of things.”

Rockhold hasn’t competed since losing the belt to Bisping in a stunning first-round knockout in June 2016. He has managed to stay busy while rehabbing from a partially torn ACL in his left knee, however.

“I’ve been chasing some paychecks modeling,” he said. “I don’t discriminate against paychecks. I’ve got to pay the bills. Injuries are tough. I can’t kick and I’m not going to fight without my left leg, which is my best weapon.”

The lesson Rockhold says he took from his loss to Bisping was not taking anyone for granted. He was riding high at the time and Bisping was stepping in as a late replacement who was a huge underdog on the betting boards.

“I went in there and wrote him off,” Rockhold recalls. “I need to focus and relax and let the fight come to (me). I’m so much better than Michael. If he ever man’s up and I get to fight him again, I’ll show that. But the way the division is going, I don’t know if I’ll get that chance.”

Rockhold does believe Bisping will beat St. Pierre in a fight that still doesn’t have an official date. He just hopes the next title fight will be against a top middleweight, and Rockhold isn’t just speaking out for himself.

Rockhold believes top contender Yoel Romero already should have received a title shot, and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is also in line to challenge for the title.

Should Bisping choose to take his fight from outside the middleweight contender pool again, Rockhold offered an alternative plan.

“A lot of guys are waiting,” he said. “It just depends on what (Bisping and the UFC’s) thoughts are. Yoel is waiting. If they want to put a real belt on the line, I’d gladly fight Yoel for it. I’m not here to dance around, I’m here to fight for titles.”

The UFC still hopes to book the fight between Bisping and St. Pierre for the UFC 213 card on July 8 at T-Mobile Arena.

MAYWEATHER RESPONDS

Conor McGregor’s outburst at a boxing match in New York last week followed up UFC president Dana White’s comments on “Conan” declaring his belief the long-rumored superfight between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was inevitable as the most recent headline-grabbers in the saga between the superstars.

So it obviously was time for the undefeated and retired pro boxer to respond.

“It’s about what I say,” Mayweather said on a FightHype.com video of where the negotiations stand after McGregor and White’s comments. “It’s whatever I say. Like I said before, it is what it is. If it happens, it happens. We’ll just see.”

Mayweather was surprisingly reserved about McGregor’s statements indicating a belief he can knock out the boxer despite never before competing in a boxing match.

“I feel he’s entitled to feel the way he wants to feel, the only thing you can do is respect that,” Mayweather said.

EVINGER RETAINS INVICTA BELT

Tonya Evinger submitted Yana Kunitskaya in the second round of the main event of Invicta FC 22 in Kansas City, Missouri, to retain the all-female organization’s bantamweight title.

The victory helped erase the memory of a controversial fight between the two in November when Kunitskaya’s submission win was overturned to a no contest because of a referee’s instruction to Evinger to give up a legal position, which helped lead to the decisive sequence.

Also on the card, Livia Renata Souza knocked out Ayaka Hamasaki in the first round and Jodie Esquibel and Ashley Cummins picked up decision victories.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.