UFC 194 Weidman vs Rockhold (Photo : Photo: UFC)
It's no secret how UFC interim titleholder, Conor McGregor, yapped his way into the hearts - or the nerves - of fans all over the mixed martial arts world.
Many believe that McGregor has the perfect antidote to take out UFC's only featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, while others think that the fiery Irishman will soon get the beating a lifetime at UFC 194 after continuously spewing out venoms.
One person who treads the fine Conor McGregor line is No. 1 middleweight contender and fellow UFC 194 competitor, Luke Rockhold.
"He's a great fighter, a good fighter. But he's unproven," said Rockhold of McGregor.
Rockhold also commended McGregor's contribution to MMA in general.
"He's got a fighting country behind him and he's a great talker, he's great for the sport," Rockhold stated.
However, the 30-year-old Rockhold followed it up by probably echoing the sentiments of a lot of Brazilian MMA fans.
"There can only be so many of them (trash talkers), but I'm lying if I say I'm not entertained by him at some points," he claimed. "But the other times, I want to slap the (expletive) out of him. The guy (McGregor) is a loud mouth, comparing himself to Van Gogh and Ali."
Similar to Conor McGregor's hype train to the title, Luke Rockhold made significant noises in the octagon on his way to a match against the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion, Chris "The All-American" Weidman.
Following a spinning heel kick loss in his UFC debut versus Vitor Belfort, Rockhold has compiled a string of impressive victories which include Performance of the Night bonuses for his wins against Michael Bisping and Lyoto Machida.
Knockouts have been landed, chokes have been locked, and words have been said, now, it's Luke Rockhold's turn to finally fight for the middleweight belt.
With just a couple of months left before the biggest dance of his life at the co-main event of UFC 194, maybe Luke Rockhold should just focus on the task at hand: stopping a ravaging American locomotive known as Chris Weidman.
