Luke Rockhold is a special individual. Not only is he a very talented mixed martial artist, but the man knows how to promote a fight to keep fans interested. As he heads into UFC on Fox 15, the former Strikeforce champion is poised for what may be the most important fight of his career. If he can pull off a win, especially in an exciting fashion, the AKA combatant should leapfrog Ronaldo Souza to become the next man in line for a shot at the 185-pound title.
The middleweight division is shaping up to house some of the most compelling fights in MMA at this time. Current champion Chris Weidman is set to face Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 in May. Souza, who is currently ranked No. 1 by the UFC, is also fighting this weekend. Yet, it is his change in opponents that may open the door for Rockhold to slide through.
Souza was originally scheduled to face Yoel Romero, another individual ranked within the UFC’s top 10. According to MMA Fighting, Romero would be forced off of the card due to a knee injury. This is the second time that these two men would have their fight cancelled, as they were originally set to fight at UFC 184 before Souza missed the care with pneumonia (via Sherdog).
Enter Chris Camozzi. Camozzi is a UFC veteran for sure, but he’s a far dropoff from Romero. Camozzi is 1-4 in his last five fights and was actually released from the organization back in October (via Sherdog). While Camozzi is doing the organization a major favor, he’s not the type of fighter that “Jacare” needs to cement himself as a No. 1 contender.
Lyoto Machida, on the other hand, is such a fighter. Rockhold is fighting the former light heavyweight champion and a former middleweight challenger. Machida is the No. 2 ranked fighter at 185 pounds and considered very dangerous by many. If Rockhold defeats the former champion, this would be the exact type of fight that could catapult him into a position to face the winner of Weidman versus Belfort.
Beyond the matchup situations that both fighters face, Rockhold seems to have the makeup proven to create draws in this sport. For example, he and Michael Bisping talked up their fight, which brought them both a lot of attention. Since moving to the UFC, Rockhold has become a very interesting character that has backed up his words with violence in the cage.
Another potential bullet point is worth mentioning: Rockhold defeated Souza back in 2011 to obtain the Strikeforce middleweight title. That storyline writes itself as the main promotional item that the UFC could use to build the eventual rematch between these two men.
Luke Rockhold has become a type of fighter that fans enjoy; outspoken on the microphone and a highlight-reel finisher in the cage. If he defeats Machida in a similar fashion at UFC on Fox 15, the UFC should immediately consider moving him ahead of Ronald Souza for an opportunity at the middleweight championship.
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