Luke Rockhold Wants Fight With Costa Philippou At UFC on FOX 7

Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold

Rockhold asks for Philippou, wants Bisping and Silva

Well that didn't take long.

After it was formally announced that he would be joining the UFC's roster of middleweights, Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold has already asked for a fight, and has just the right opponent in mind.

Rockhold spoke with MMAFighting about who he would like to fight first and when:

"I think Costa Philippou makes the most sense right now," he said. "He's coming off a win, and I think he's a good opponent. Let's get it on at [UFC on FOX 7]."

Philippou has found himself gradually climbing the middleweight ladder, going on a 5-0 stretch, with his most recent win being against division contender Tim Boetsch at UFC 155, which he won by T.K.O.

Rockhold, who did not fight at Strikeforce's last event due to a wrist injury, has not fought since July when he defeated Tim Kennedy. Rockhold went on to state that there were a couple other guys he would like a shot at as well.

"I want Bisping to stay on the up and up so I can knock him out, but I want Belfort to win because that would open a path to Anderson [Silva].

"I want the fight that gets me to Anderson as fast as I can. I believe I can fight him like no one else can. I want that opportunity because I believe I'm the No. 1 contender."

The middleweight title picture is about to become much more clear following Saturday's UFC on FX 7 fight between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort, as "The Count" has been told he will finally get his shot fight Anderson Silva. As for Rockhold, while we don't know if he will indeed fight Philippou, or someone else, it's safe to say that he will have an immediate impact on the championship landscape in some way, shape, or form.

Check out all our UFC news here