UFC 194 News: Luke Rockhold Plans To Ragdoll Champion Chris Weidman, Dana White Compares Conor McGregor To Muhammad Ali
UFC 194 co-headliner Luke Rockhold has some strong words for champion Chris Weidman, whom he will be fighting the 185-pound belt for. Company president Dana White, meanwhile, likens trash-talking Irish superstar Conor McGregor to Muhammad Ali.
Rockhold, who himself is a former middleweight champion at the now defunct San Diego-based promotion company Strikeforce, has earned his title shot after a string of impressive performances.
He last saw action against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in April as the headliner for UFC on FOX. Rockhold finished Machida in the second round via rear-naked choke. He is now facing the man who not only is an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler; he is also the man who defeated the great Anderson Silva. Holding an unblemished record of 14-0, Weidman has so far held victories against two other Brazilian legends, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.
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Rockhold, however, is not impressed by the champion's accomplishments.
"I'm looking forward to throwing him around, all 192 pounds of him," Rockhold said in a report by MMA Fighting.
The 31-year old Rockhold even criticized Weidman's fight tactics, noting that it is simply anchored on toughness instead of skill.
"If things don't go his way, he sacks up and bites down on his mouthpiece and tries to be a tough guy," he added. "That's where he's really going to find trouble."
Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White has gone as far as comparing one of his most prized fighters to an all-time combat sports legendary figure. In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, White mentioned Conor McGregor's name in the same breath with Muhammad Ali, a man considered simply as "The Greatest".
McGregor's penchant for trash talking has made him, according to the outspoken UFC executive, "the greatest mental warfare fighter I have ever met. Ever. The best."
"You don't ever want to be comparing people to Muhammad Ali, but he's the only one who comes to mind when it comes to the mental warfare that Conor wages," White said.
