UFC on Fox 15 likely has its main event picked out, as Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com is reporting that a compelling middleweight fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is booked for the card. Rockhold has confirmed the bout himself on Instagram.
Both fighters had been hinting that the fight is in the works, with Machida saying he was open to a bout with Rockhold in December, according to John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com, and Rockhold coming just shy of spilling the beans on New Year’s Eve, via Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com. Even UFC President Dana White got in on the action via Twitter:
@LukeRockhold @lyotomachidafw I have been ready bro!!!! I get home tomorrow and will call u this week.
— Dana White (@danawhite) December 21, 2014
The fight is most certainly an interesting one.
Rockhold established himself as one of the top middleweights in MMA during his time in Strikeforce with impressive wins over the likes of Keith Jardine, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Tim Kennedy. While his UFC debut did not go especially well (he was knocked out by Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8), he has been lights-out since, scoring stoppage victories over Costas Philippou, Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping.
Machida is no slouch himself. By dropping to middleweight, The Dragon added legitimate knockout power to his always-tricky striking game. He owns a 3-1 record at 185 pounds, with his most recent fight being a 62-second demolition of CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58.
This fight holds serious title ramifications. Rockhold already has a strong claim to a middleweight title shot, given his UFC dominance and Strikeforce success. However, with Dennis Weidman booked to face the aforementioned Belfort at UFC 184, Rockhold has been forced into a resume-building race with a resurgent Souza as well as fellow Strikeforce alum Yoel Romero. A win over Machida would make it nearly impossible to deny him a title shot.
UFC on Fox 15 is booked for April 18 in Newark, New Jersey. No other bouts have been announced for the card, so keep an eye out on Bleacher Report for more news on the card as it becomes available.
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