Highlights! Rockhold Reacts To Polaris 12 Loss

Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Luke Rockhold’s foray into competitive no-gi grappling didn’t go so well for the former middleweight champ.

Rockhold took on rising no-gi ace Nick Rodriguez in a 230 pound catchweight affair that headlined Polaris 12 in the UK. The two spent the majority of their fifteen minute bout pushing and pulling in a standing clinch, with Rockhold taking a cut above his eye from a clash of heads. Rather than bowing out, Rockhold hunted down some Vaseline so things could keep rolling.

Speaking of rolling, here’s probably the most exciting exchange from the whole match, with the beefier Rodriguez slamming Rockhold and taking his back during a scramble:

That was pretty much the most dominant moment in the fight and it earned Rodriguez the win. After, Rockhold sounded a bit bummed out about the lack of action more than the loss.

“I’m no stranger, I can play the bull or I can play the matador,” Rockhold said during a post-bout interview. “I didn’t have enough to keep up with him. Credit to him, the kid’s tough. I thought he would shoot more. I thought I could play more of a different game. I didn’t realize we’d be stuck on the feet and the kind of push, pull … sorry about that. I wanted a little more action.”

A recent Instagram post shared a similar sentiment:

“Was hoping for a tango but got a line dance,” he wrote. “Oh well good on ya cunt. Thank you Wales, was a pleasure!”

As for those wondering if the event reignited his desire to compete again for the UFC? Eeeh. Sounds like the positive experience dealing with the Polaris boys just underscored what a stress fighting for the UFC can be.

It’s just fun for me,” Rockhold said. “Competition is a part of my life, and this kind of lightens it up, takes me away from all the political bulls**t that you deal with in the UFC. There’s a lot more to it. This is just fun and it keeps that goal-oriented mindset.”

And in the event that you don’t accomplish your goals? Don’t worry Luke, you’re still gorgeous!