UFC: Michael Bisping's 5 Biggest Controversies

2. Proclaiming Himself The "Unofficial" Strikeforce Middleweight Champion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xIcGDkYMlY Sometimes, Michael Bisping just brings the heat on himself - and that's exactly what he did with Luke Rockhold, the final Strikeforce middleweight champion who is now seen as a legit contender in the UFC, and ranked higher than Bisping himself. In talking about Rockhold joining the UFC in 2012, Bisping stated "I've sparred with Luke Rockhold recently and let's just say I'm the unofficial Strikeforce champion. Sorry Luke, but these are the facts" - implying that he got the better of Rockhold in training. Now, to clarify - fighters generally do not go full-tilt while sparring, so "getting the better of someone" in training is akin to beating someone with one hand tied behind their back. You didn't really win, and you don't know how hard they were really going at it. Lets just say that it didn't sit well with Rockhold, who has been feuding with Bisping via twitter and the media ever since. That's almost two years. Rockhold was even willing to give up a shot at a higher ranked opponent in order to get his hands on the Brit over the comments, and Bisping has thus far failed to accept the challenge, focusing instead of antagonizing the former champ, calling him most recently a teenage kid who goes to pool parties (as Rockhold attended a UFC pool party event). Should he beat Cung Le next weekend, however, we may finally get to see one of the greatest grudge matches out there.