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Watch: Former foes Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold roll back the years in recent sparring session

Image on left courtesy: @ufcbtsport on Instagram
Image on left courtesy: @ufcbtsport on Instagram

Former UFC middleweight champions Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold have had two outings inside the octagon against each other.

The Bisping-Rockhold rivalry was as bitter as a rivalry can get. However, the two have since done away with their differences, and now seem to be on cordial terms.

In fact, they seem to be friendly enough to engage in a sparring session with one another!

BT Sport recently posted footage of Bisping and Rockhold grappling at the RVCA Training Facility.

Although it's been years since the two last faced each other, the competitive spirit in both of them is evidently still there.

The two were grappling on the mats when Michael Bisping broke away from the scramble to stand up and maneuver himself to lock in a toe-hold.

After twisting and turning to escape, Luke Rockhold attempts to lock in a submission of his own.


Tracing the history between Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold

Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold first squared off inside the octagon in November 2014.

It was then that a sort of enmity developed between the two, all thanks to the Englishman's constant trash-talk and Rockhold's reaction to it.

Rockhold got the better of Bisping and submitted him in the opening minute of round two.

Luke Rockhold went on to win the UFC middleweight title from Chris Weidman at UFC 194.

A rematch between the pair was scheduled to take place at UFC 199 on June 4, 2016. However, Chris Weidman had to pull out of the bout towards the end of May, with only days before for Luke Rockhold's first title defense.

'The Count' Michael Bisping replaced Chris Weidman to fight for the title. He pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history by knocking Luke Rockhold out in round one to become the UFC middleweight champion.

The fact that Bisping stepped in on just ten days notice, made championship weight and knocked out the champion, a person who had defeated him only months ago, within the first round made for an astounding story for generations to come in the world of MMA.

The second fight, too, was filled with Michael Bisping's insults. However, Luke Rockhold recently stated that his beef with Bisping is a thing of the past.


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