Michael Bisping responds to 'bitter' Chris Weidman's comments about fight with Luke Rockhold

TORRANCE, Calif. -- Chris Weidman's barbs toward Luke Rockhold had some collateral damage in Michael Bisping.

On Monday's episode of The MMA Hour, Weidman told Ariel Helwani that he gave Rockhold two gifts when he pulled out of UFC 199: Bisping on "a silver platter" and the "easiest title fight in the history of title fights."

Bisping, as one might imagine, didn't take too kindly to those words.

"Chris Weidman is a very, very bitter individual for somebody that spouts on about Jesus," Bisping said Wednesday at UFC 199 open workouts at UFC Gym. "He just needs to take a step back and go read the Bible some more. Take heed to his own words. Don't be bitter. He hurt himself, simple as that. It had nothing to do with me. I didn't hurt his neck. Did I hurt his neck? What the f*ck has that got to do with me, pal?"

Two weeks ago, Weidman was forced to pull out of his UFC 199 main event title fight against Rockhold due to a severe neck injury. When Ronaldo Souza could not be the replacement due to an injury of his own, Bisping stepped in as Rockhold's opponent for June 4 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

"Two years, two weeks, two months, two days," Bisping said. "I don't care. Half of this UFC roster are pussies. They wouldn't take this fight. 'Jacare' wouldn't take this fight. It makes me sick. I'll fight anyone, any time, any place. I just proved that. I took a fight on two weeks notice. I'm gonna walk off a movie set, I'm gonna walk into the Octagon, I'm gonna take Luke Rockhold's belt. He's gonna lie on the floor, he's gonna wake up looking at the stars [and say], 'Fuck! This guy just beat me on two weeks notice.'"

Bisping, 37, has never gotten a title shot in 10 years in the UFC. He's coming off a unanimous decision win over Anderson Silva in January. "The Count," a European MMA pioneer and perennial middleweight contender in the UFC, believes winning the belt is his destiny. No matter that he lost to Rockhold previously by second-round submission in November 2014.

"The opponent isn't important," Bisping said. "This is about me. This is about fulfilling destiny. Whether or not it's Luke Rockhold, Muhammad Ali -- it doesn't matter. It's gonna take a bullet to the brain to stop me on Saturday."

Bisping isn't done thinking about Weidman, though. He said the former champ is next on his list.

"Weidman, sort your sh*t out and come back," Bisping said. "When I beat Luke Rockhold, Weidman can be my first defense. And I'll shut that assh*le up once and for all."