It doesn’t take much observation to notice Luke Rockhold is a very talented fighter.
As a prospect on the rise, the American Kickboxing Academy staple steamrolled his way through the Strikeforce Challengers series and garnered enough respect and attention along the way to earn a shot at the promotion’s middleweight title. The Santa Cruz native would go on to earn the 185-pound strap by edging out former grappling world champion-turned-MMA-powerhouse Ronald “Jacare” Souza in a five-round war back in 2011.
The fight proved there was more to Rockhold than his poster-boy presentation.
While he would go on to make two successful defenses of his middleweight crown, bigger questions loomed as to how the rangy striker would handle the level of competition once he stepped inside the Octagon. Being a man motivated by tall challenges, the 30-year-old Californian jumped into the deep end of the pool by facing Brazilian knockout artist Vitor Belfort in his official UFC debut in May 2013. Mixing it up with The Phenom is a tall task by any measure, and Rockhold admitted he mishandled the situation.
Rather than ease into the fray and rely on his skill set, he became borderline obsessed with proving a point. He was fighting a legend of the sport—a resurgent one at that—and a victory over Belfort would provide the ultimate “told you so” to a fanbase that had questioned Rockhold’s talents. Yet, with those elements simmering and the rivalry that heated up between the two fighters, Rockhold simply got caught up.
And it showed in his performance that night in Brazil.
While suffering the first-round knockout loss to Belfort—his first defeat in nearly six years—would create frustration, it also forced Rockhold to examine what he did wrong going into that fight. He had never competed on emotion before, and it proved to be costly. Therefore, he worked diligently to find the mindset and rhythm that had yielded previous success, and his next two performances were great indicators that he found what he was searching for.
“The loss to Vitor really gave me perspective,” Rockhold told Bleacher Report. “I sat back and thought about everything and what I did going into that fight. It would come out in sparring and in the gym. I would start sparring and think about how I fought him compared how I fought other fights. I got upset with myself because that’s what happens when you lose, and one of my sparring partners helped me realize what was happening.
“I’m a fighter, and when I get hit, I get angry sometimes. I want to brawl. I want to get in there and get aggressive. And that’s when I’m at my worst. That’s how I fought Vitor and even how I fought Tim Kennedy. I got overly aggressive and didn’t use my technique, and those things showed in the fight.”
The surging contender would go on to earn back-to-back first-round finishes over Costa Philippou and Tim Boetsch, silencing any lingering talk that he wasn’t back to form. And with his next challenge coming in the form of a bitter rivalry with Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 55, the former Strikeforce champion isn’t allowing anything to break him out of his groove. All the talk between the two fighters is just chatter, and Rockhold is ready to handle business in Sydney, Australia on Nov. 8.
“In sparring, I really practiced being patient and being more of a sniper rather than getting in there and trying to take the guy’s head off,” Rockhold said. “I’ve always been tough, and I work hard. I have a lot of natural ability, and that’s how I win fights. When I relax and use my abilities, that’s when I’m at my best. When I fight my fight rather than push the action. I realized this in training, and I’ve worked to keep that mindset, every day and every second in the gym.
“I needed to let it go and relax. Just go in there and do my thing. If you look at my past fights through Strikeforce and the two since Vitor, there is a different kind of calmness and relaxation. That is how it is going to be from now on. And figuring that out is why I believe I’m starting to reach my potential.”
While the back-and-forth between Rockhold and Bisping has been the most showcased angle of the matchup, the future title implications of their upcoming bout is also a major storyline. The Count has been a perennial contender over the past several years but has failed to get over the hump in big fights. That said, a victory over Rockhold would put the brash Brit’s title hopes back on track, placing him within striking distance of earning a championship opportunity.
On the flip side, defeating Bisping at Fight Night 55 would potentially put Rockhold in position to get the next shot at the middleweight title. He’s won 11 of his last 12 bouts heading into Sydney, and a victory over The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 winner would make it three consecutive wins over tough competition.
Nevertheless, Rockhold is taking a realistic approach to the situation. He believes he’s deserving of a title opportunity with a win over Bisping, but he would understand if the UFC requires him to take one more fight before giving him a crack at middleweight gold.
“It’s an interesting situation in this division,” Rockhold said. “I could see myself getting the next shot with a win over Bisping, but I could also see me being realistically at least one more win away. I’ve beaten some of the top guys in the world. I beat Kennedy and “Jacare” while we were in Strikeforce, and they’ve come over to the UFC and have done some big things. I’ve lost one fight, and it was to Vitor Belfort. I got caught with a spinning heel kick. I’m going to beat Bisping, and I’m going to do it in spectacular fashion. Then whatever they want to give me they give me.
“I’d be happy to prove myself again to become the No. 1 contender. If you look at my body of work and what I’ve done in the UFC, then I probably should fight one more before getting a title shot. But if you look at what I did in Strikeforce and put everything together with my wins in the UFC, then in that case I believe I should get a title shot with a win over Bisping.
“If you look at the total perspective, I don’t think anyone else in the division is more deserving of a shot than I am. But if it’s taken from a purely UFC standpoint, then I probably should fight one more.”
And therein lies the renewed patience of Rockhold. Despite a rising profile and the biggest grudge match of his career looming on Nov. 8 in Australia, he’s willing to take things as they come because that’s when he’s at his best. Forcing the action and aggression has only led to trouble in the past, and he’s nothing if not a student of the game he’s attempting to master.
Yet, make no mistake about—the tension between Rockhold and his upcoming opponent is very much real, and he has every intention of making a statement at UFC Fight Night 55.
“I feel good, and this is a great fight for me to showcase my skills,” Rockhold said. “There is nothing more I want in this world than to put my foot across Bisping’s face.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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