The back and forth between UFC middleweight challenger Luke Rockhold and company president Dana White continued throughout the day on Tuesday.
The situation started with Rockhold’s public criticism of the UFC for twice overlooking the top 185-pound contenders in favor of what he deemed “freak show” match-ups for middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
The UFC opted to give Dan Henderson a shot at the belt in Bisping’s first title defense after he took the belt from Rockhold. It was a sort of retirement gift for Henderson, who laid his gloves down following the fight. After Bisping dispatched with Henderson, the UFC opted to match him with returning former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who would be making his middleweight debut in a challenge for the belt.
St-Pierre recently said that he wouldn’t be ready to fight until at least November, so the UFC pulled him from the fight with Bisping. White said they would instead match Bisping with Yoel Romero, the No. 1 ranked middleweight contender.
Rockhold wasn’t the only one to criticize the UFC for it’s middleweight matchmaking, but he faced the brunt of White’s criticism at the UFC 211 post-fight press conference on Saturday night in Dallas.
“You got Rockhold right now screaming, ‘I deserve this.’ You just got knocked out in the first round, you don’t deserve anything. You gotta come back and earn it,” White said.
Rockhold fired back on Tuesday via Twitter, culminating in his comment telling White, “‘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.”
Though he doesn’t always respond when fighters take aim at him on social media, White did just that on Tuesday, basically telling Rockhold not criticize the matchmaking.
“Luke Rockhold, I usually never respond, but GSP never lost his title. Bisping, GSP, and the fans wanted it,” he said, referring to the match-up that recently dissolved.
“Stick to fighting and modeling and leave the matchmaking to us.”
Rockhold has yet to respond following White’s latest comment.
@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
@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
@LukeRockhold pic.twitter.com/3buw7twqEv
— Dana White (@danawhite) May 16, 2017
