Luke Rockhold came up just short in his grappling debut for the Polaris promotion on UFC Fight Pass.
Rockhold faced ADCC silver medalist Nick Rodriguez at the event, and after 15 minutes, Rodriguez was awarded the victory via decision. The bout was fairly uneventful for the most part, but it was Rodriguez who was more so the aggressor of the two. In his post-fight interview, Rockhold apologized for the lack of action, crediting Rodriguez for doing his homework. (H/T MMA Fighting)
“I’m no stranger, I can play the bull or I can play the matador,” Rockhold said. “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 it would just be stuck on the feet and the kind of push-pull, sorry about that, but I wanted a little more action. I tried to bait, I tried to give it, but the man did his homework. He comes from a good team, they know what to avoid and where to attack, so credit to him.”
The seemingly retired former UFC and Strikeforce champion then said he’s open to competing for Polaris again down the road, but plans on taking a break from competition for a bit.
“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*it 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.”
Here are some highlights from Rockhold and Rodriguez’s bout.
"Someone get me some vaseline." -Former @ufc middleweight champion, @LukeRockhold
#Polaris12 #UFCFIGHTPASS pic.twitter.com/jOPvCKZr0j
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 30, 2019
Nicky Rod gettin' wild!
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 30, 2019
What do you make of Rockhold’s decision loss to Rodriguez at Polaris 12?
The post Luke Rockhold Suffers Cut, Drops Decision To Nick Rodriguez At Polaris 12 (Highlights) appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.