Rockhold responds to White: 'Think before you run your mouth'
Luke Rockhold is none too pleased with seeing his words taken out of context.
The former UFC middleweight champ, along with several of his fellow contenders, has repeatedly condemned a recently scrapped matchup between incumbent Michael Bisping and the returning Georges St-Pierre.
The 32-year-old recently went as far as calling for the middleweight elite to take a stand against the UFC's matchmaking, which didn't sit well with president Dana White.
"There's a lot of guys talking about 'deserve' - nobody deserves anything. You've got to earn it here. You've got Rockhold screaming right now 'I deserve this.' You just got knocked out in the first round. You've got to come back and earn it," White told FOX Sports' Damon Martin at the UFC 211 postfight presser.
"The guy just got knocked out in the first round by Michael Bisping and he thinks he deserves this and he deserves that. You earn it. You want to come back and you want to fight for the title? Get back in here and earn it. That's it."
On Monday, Rockhold said on Twitter that he never felt entitled to another shot at the strap, and stressed the importance of knowing his work in the cage is going toward something tangible.
@danawhite I never said I deserved a title shot. I said we (middleweights) deserve clarity. We deserve something to fight for.
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) May 16, 2017
The Strikeforce alum then pointed out the hypocrisy in White's criticisms, as GSP, a career welterweight, was tapped for a middleweight title shot after spending three-plus years away from competition.
@danawhite "You have to earn your way in this company"? Tell me how did GSP earn a middleweight title shot? Think before you run your mouth
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) May 16, 2017
Rockhold - who hasn't fought since losing the strap to Bisping last June - had posited an interim middleweight title matchup opposite top-ranked Yoel Romero before drawing White's ire, although the suggestion may have been meant to maintain some semblance of order and meritocracy among the middleweight ranks.
Luckily for Rockhold, the delay in booking a date for GSP's return appears to have brought White to his wit's end. The UFC boss nixed the Bisping bout after St-Pierre revealed he wouldn't be available until after October, and rightfully anointed Romero the challenger in waiting.
White later defended the booking and told Rockhold to stick to what he does best:
@LukeRockhold pic.twitter.com/3buw7twqEv
— Dana White (@danawhite) May 16, 2017