Rockhold pushing for heavyweight fight with Werdum

After Fabricio Werdum stoked the fire of their longstanding beef earlier this week, Luke Rockhold wants to settle it in the cage.

Monday on "The MMA Hour," Werdum was asked if he would ever tangle with Rockhold in a submission grappling match, and he responded with some choice words.

"I think this guy's a bitch," Werdum told Ariel Helwani. "I've thought of fighting him in just grappling, but I don't like this guy, and I think I'd slap his face for sure. He's a bullshit guy, you know? He say a lot of bad things. I loved when Bisping knocked him out."

On Wednesday, after Helwani reported Rockhold had taken umbrage to Werdum's comments and approached the UFC about meeting the Brazilian in the Octagon, the former middleweight champ doubled down on his comments while appearing on the latest edition of "UFC Tonight."

He and Werdum are separated by two weight classes, but a hellbent Rockhold is willing to accommodate Werdum and move up to heavyweight.

"Everyone’s steaming over this new fight I brought up. I think me and Werdum got some old beef from Strikeforce. He's a guy I've always wanted to fight," Rockhold said, according to FOX Sports' Damon Martin. "I've thought it through and I like the style matchup.

"Given what's going on in the middleweight division right now, screw that, I'm coming to heavyweight. Let's do this."

The pair's disdain for each other is rooted in their days fighting under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner, and was reignited shortly before Werdum dethroned Rockhold's teammate, Cain Velasquez, to become the undisputed heavyweight champ at UFC 188. As "Vai Cavalo" did in his knockout loss to Bisping on Monday, Rockhold rejoiced in the starching Werdum suffered at Stipe Miocic's hands at UFC 198, deeming the Brazilian an unworthy champion.

The 39-year-old Werdum doesn't share Rockhold's desire to duke it out, however, and told Helwani he was eyeing a title eliminator with either Velasquez or Overeem in July now that Ben Rothwell's potential USADA violation kicked him off of UFC 211.

The Brazilian's feelings were promptly echoed by his manager, Ali Abdelaziz: