Luke Rockhold wants to replace Georges St. Pierre in UFC title bout

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold finally made his return to the cage Saturday night and got back in the win column by forcing David Branch to tap out to strikes in the second round.

Now Rockhold wants another shot at Michael Bisping and believes the champion’s next challenger should just step out of the way.

Bisping, who took the belt from Rockhold in June 2016, is scheduled to fight former welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre in the main event of UFC 217 on Nov. 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Rockhold said St. Pierre, who hasn’t competed since retiring with the belt in 2013, is in over his head for his comeback bout and should consider withdrawing.

“GSP is overmatched,” Rockhold said after his UFC Fight Night 116 win in Pittsburgh. “His game plan will not work. He’s going to get outboxed and he’s going to get stopped. He’s too small. He can’t just wrestle. Bisping’s going to scramble, he’s going to get up and he’s going to outbox him. He’s going to outlast him. The size and all of it will play a factor. GSP is going to get crushed. He needs to get out of the fight. I’m going to walk right into Madison Square Garden and whoop that (expletive). I’m going to enjoy tonight and then get back to training so I’ll be ready.”

Rockhold took some time to find his rhythm Saturday night before dispatching Branch late in the second round after finally getting the former two-division World Series of Fighting champ David Branch to the mat.

After flattening him out face-down, Rockhold unleashed a series of punches until Branch decided he couldn’t take any more.

“I feel alright,” Rockhold said after his first fight in more than 15 months. “It wasn’t exactly my perfect fight, but we got the job done.”

The division has changed a great deal while Rockhold has been out of action. Bisping has defended the belt just once and Robert Whittaker has been crowned interim champ.

Rockhold called Whittaker the “true champion” and expressed an interest in fighting him at some point.

Also Saturday night, welterweight Mike Perry took just 1:19 to knock out late replacement Alex Reyes and lightweight prospect Gregor Gillespie remained unbeaten with a second-round submission of Jason Gonzalez.

Cormier supports Jones

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier took to social media over the weekend to thank his fans for their support and added what may seem like a surprising request.

Cormier, who was once again crowned champion last week when his bitter rival Jon Jones was stripped due to a potential violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy, encouraged his fans to stop harassing Jones about his latest transgression.

“Guys now I call upon you to take a breathe, lay off of Jones,” Cormier wrote. “Let him and his team figure out what’s going on and what happened. I was down and some may have kicked me but the majority of you showed compassion and love. After the fight Jones showed compassion, regardless of what has happened as humans we must show compassion. Jon is not on this ride alone, remember this man has a family. Let’s respect that. You don’t show ur support for me by hurting others.”

The final adjudication process for Jones through both the United States Anti-Doping Agency and California State Athletic Commission could take several months.

Okami in for Rua

UFC veteran Yushin Okami will return to the organization to face light heavyweight contender Ovince Saint Preux in the main event of UFC Fight Night 117 on Saturday in Saitama, Japan.

Okami replaces former light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who had to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury.

Okami has won his last four fights on the regional circuit, including a decision victory over Andre Lobato on a Professional Fighters League card in July. He last fought in the UFC in 2013.

UFC Fight Night 117, which also includes a women’s strawweight contender bout between Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade, will air live on FXX at 7 p.m.

Fresno event announced

The UFC will hold its first event in Fresno, California, on Dec. 9, the organization announced. No fights for UFC Fight Night 123, which will air on Fox Sports 1, have been announced.

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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.