Luke Rockhold Wants Anderson Silva Or Robert Whittaker Next
Luke Rockhold Wants Anderson Silva Or Robert Whittaker Next
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold lays out plans for his return to the Octagon in 2017.
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is finally healthy and looking to get back into action in the most fun and entertaining fights possible.
The Californian was last seen in the Octagon in June of last year when he dropped his middleweight title after suffering a stunning first round TKO loss at the hands of Michael Bisping at UFC 199.
Rockhold has been rehabbing injuries and patiently waiting on the sidelines as the title picture in the middleweight division gets more interesting by the minute.
One of the rumored dance partners while the very top of the division is in a traffic jam would be a throw down of epic proportions with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The potential fight with Silva has been seemingly so close, yet so very far away, as Silva has also been rumored to be mixing it up with Vitor Belfort later this summer.
“It sounds like there is interest,” Rockhold said. “It sounds like it could happen. It just depends on Anderson’s team. It seems like it takes a long time for his team to agree to a fight. The only other interest is the fight with Whittaker.”
In what would be a clash of former champions, Rockhold envisions the fight going his way in a big way. Even if he has to go into Silva’s own back yard to get the job done, The American Kickboxing Academy product is familiar with stepping into enemy territory. He has been there and done that. If the fight does come to fruition, the only way Rockhold sees it playing out is a sure fire victory in which he breaks the will and spirit of the man many consider the greatest middleweight of all-time.
“If the Anderson fight does take place I look forward to going into Brazil where they say they want to ‘kill the American’,” Rockhold said. “I’ve done it before. I’ve been through it. Anderson is tough. People underestimate him. Matchup wise, I think I am a horrible for him. I can go in there and break his legs. I can use my powerful kicking style. I would back him into a corner, break him down and put him away. Whether it’s on the ground or on the feet, I can beat him any way I want. It’s about implementing my game plan and making him realize everything I have and start questioning himself.”
At UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York, his teammate and good friend Daniel Cormier defended the UFC light heavyweight title, stopping Anthony Johnson by rear naked choke in the second round. In a surprising turn of events for most spectators, the heavy handed Johnson had a punchers chance but chose to grapple with the all-world wrestler Cormier. Rockhold was as surprised as everyone else with the way the fight went down.
“I didn’t expect that from Anthony Johnson,” Rockhold said. “I didn’t expect him to wrestle. I don’t think anybody, even his own team, expected that. When you see that you know Anthony was burning out his arms and taking his own power away. I didn’t care about DC losing the first round. It didn’t mean anything. The longer that fight goes the better it is. DC went out there and did this thing. He took shots like he always does. He’s a tough dude. He weathered the storm, implemented his game plan and put it on him. He finished him like we knew he could.”
The Californian was last seen in the Octagon in June of last year when he dropped his middleweight title after suffering a stunning first round TKO loss at the hands of Michael Bisping at UFC 199.
Rockhold has been rehabbing injuries and patiently waiting on the sidelines as the title picture in the middleweight division gets more interesting by the minute.
One of the rumored dance partners while the very top of the division is in a traffic jam would be a throw down of epic proportions with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The potential fight with Silva has been seemingly so close, yet so very far away, as Silva has also been rumored to be mixing it up with Vitor Belfort later this summer.
“It sounds like there is interest,” Rockhold said. “It sounds like it could happen. It just depends on Anderson’s team. It seems like it takes a long time for his team to agree to a fight. The only other interest is the fight with Whittaker.”
In what would be a clash of former champions, Rockhold envisions the fight going his way in a big way. Even if he has to go into Silva’s own back yard to get the job done, The American Kickboxing Academy product is familiar with stepping into enemy territory. He has been there and done that. If the fight does come to fruition, the only way Rockhold sees it playing out is a sure fire victory in which he breaks the will and spirit of the man many consider the greatest middleweight of all-time.
“If the Anderson fight does take place I look forward to going into Brazil where they say they want to ‘kill the American’,” Rockhold said. “I’ve done it before. I’ve been through it. Anderson is tough. People underestimate him. Matchup wise, I think I am a horrible for him. I can go in there and break his legs. I can use my powerful kicking style. I would back him into a corner, break him down and put him away. Whether it’s on the ground or on the feet, I can beat him any way I want. It’s about implementing my game plan and making him realize everything I have and start questioning himself.”
At UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York, his teammate and good friend Daniel Cormier defended the UFC light heavyweight title, stopping Anthony Johnson by rear naked choke in the second round. In a surprising turn of events for most spectators, the heavy handed Johnson had a punchers chance but chose to grapple with the all-world wrestler Cormier. Rockhold was as surprised as everyone else with the way the fight went down.
“I didn’t expect that from Anthony Johnson,” Rockhold said. “I didn’t expect him to wrestle. I don’t think anybody, even his own team, expected that. When you see that you know Anthony was burning out his arms and taking his own power away. I didn’t care about DC losing the first round. It didn’t mean anything. The longer that fight goes the better it is. DC went out there and did this thing. He took shots like he always does. He’s a tough dude. He weathered the storm, implemented his game plan and put it on him. He finished him like we knew he could.”