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Michael Bisping recently shared his take on the middleweight match-up between Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa.
The duo are expected to fight at UFC 277. However, the clash is yet to be made official. Bisping believes it's risky for Rockhold to come back and take on a dangerous contender like Costa.
However, 'The Count' knows first hand that his former opponent is a world-class fighter and certainly has the tools to get the better of any other contender. While speaking on his channel, here's what Bisping said about Costa vs. Rockhold:
"He's got incredible tools. I mean he's a freak athlete. He used to be a professional surfer, professional skateboarder. Now he's a former world champion in mixed martial arts. So, to say that the man is athletic is a complete understatement. The man is freakishly athletic and he's got it. He's got a nasty streak as well. The man can fight."
Rockhold has been out of action since his UFC 239 loss to Jan Blachowicz. The former Strikeforce champion became the UFC middleweight kingpin when he defeated Chris Weidman at UFC 194. However, he lost his belt to Bisping at UFC 199 after suffering a knockout loss. He has since suffered losses against Yoel Romero and Jan Blachowicz, both via knockouts.
However, the 37-year-old believes he is still a championship caliber fighter and wants to make another run for the UFC middleweight title.
Watch Michael Bisping talk about Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold:
Michael Bisping says Luke Rockhold matches up well against Israel Adesanya
Rockhold has made his intentions of taking on Israel Adesanya clear. He wants a crack at the title and believes he still has the ability to succeed at championship level.
Bisping says that both Adesanya and Rockhold are tall and rangy fighters. So, none have any significant physical advantage over the other. However, the grappling edge certainly goes to the former champion. That being said, 'The Count' pointed out that Rockhold's biggest weakness is his inability to take a shot.
Rockhold will certainly have to get himself back on a winning streak before calling out 'The Last Stylebender'. Fans will keep a close eye on how the 37-year-old fares upon his return to the octagon.
