"He did take my world title" - Luke Rockhold explains why he works with Jason Parillo despite Parillo coaching Michael Bisping against him in the past

Bisping, Rockhold, and Parillo [left, center, and right; images courtesy of @mikebisping, @lukerockhold, and @parilloboxing Instagram]

Luke Rockhold has opened up about why he chooses to work with Jason Parillo, who’s a world-renowned MMA coach at the RVCA Training Center, despite Parillo having previously coached in his opponent's corner.

Former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold lost his title to Michael Bisping in their rematch at UFC 199 in June 2016. Rockhold had dominantly defeated Bisping via second-round submission in their first fight in November 2014.

Besides, Bisping had accepted the rematch on just 17 days’ notice after Rockhold’s original opponent Chris Weidman withdrew from the fight due to injury issues. In what was regarded as a major upset, Bisping beat Rockhold via first-round KO at UFC 199.

Working on a film set at the time 🎬
Fight on two weeks notice 🤯
Revenge knockout 👊
First UK champion 🇬🇧
Left hook Larry...

The story of how Michael @bisping ended up becoming a UFC champion by knocking out Luke Rockhold is the stuff of legends 🙌 #OpenMat https://t.co/3RpjMAGQwo

Bisping’s coach at the time was Jason Parillo. Following his loss to Bisping, Rockhold – a longtime AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) member – started splitting his time between AKA and the RVCA Training Center. In the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Rockhold was asked why he trains under the tutelage of the very person who coached Bisping to take his title.

Luke Rockhold responded by highlighting that RVCA provides a more intimate training experience compared to bigger MMA gyms with too many fighters. Rockhold stated:

“But then, you know, Parillo is a sick f**k, and I love him. I’ve always liked Parillo, even before. The world of MMA is very small. And yeah, he did take my world title. F**ker.” Rockhold smiled and continued, “But he tells it straight, and he always identifies the truth. And you’ve gotta forgive and forget those things and grow.”

“What better person to understand that than him? My weaknesses. Yeah, right? Really when it comes down to it. But you need someone to keep you honest in this game, and someone you can always connect with, and someone who can motivate you too.”

Watch Rockhold discuss the topic at 3:33:33 in the video below:

Is a title shot on the cards for Luke Rockhold with a win at UFC 278?

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is scheduled to fight Paulo Costa at UFC 278 on August 20. The consensus is that the unranked Rockhold beating the No. 6-ranked UFC middleweight Costa could catapult him into the middleweight title picture.

This Saturday at #UFC278!!

🏆 Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards
👊 Paulo Costa vs Luke Rockhold
💥 José Aldo vs Merab Dvalishvili https://t.co/Le6ICXxMPD

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has pretty much cleaned out his division, apart from beating longtime rival Alex Pereira whom he’s set to fight this November. On that note, should Luke Rockhold and Israel Adesanya win their respective fights, it’s believed a dream matchup between the two middleweight superstars could soon materialize.

Israel Adesanya is set to defend his middleweight title against Alex Pereira at #UFC281 in MSG 🗽 https://t.co/9bOC6AxT2A