At Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, a middleweight title fight, that had flown under the radar until it actually happened, led to the crowning of a new 185-pound Strikeforce champion. In a back-and-forth bout, Luke Rockhold dethroned Ronaldo Souza with a narrow unanimous decision victory.
Before last night, Rockhold was merely a promising young prospect expected to lose a fight in which he was taking a massive step up in competition. Prior to his loss against Rockhold, Souza was considered one of the better middleweights in the world.
Where does this victory put Rockhold now?
With a Strikeforce belt around his waist, Rockhold is now a win or two away from following in the footsteps of Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz and possibly Dan Henderson. A dominant win over a Strikeforce contender like Tim Kennedy will undoubtedly begin conversations about how Rockhold would fare against top UFC middleweights.
As soon as that speculation begins, you can bet UFC President Dana White will be on the phone and looking to poach Rockhold from Strikeforce.
It might be too forward-thinking, but could Rockhold be the fighter to finally end Anderson SIlva’s reign over the 185-pound division, if this scenario did play out?
Considering Rockhold was rocked by Souza last night, the answer to that question is more than likely a resounding no, but most said the same thing heading into Silva’s fight with Chael Sonnen. While Rockhold’s wrestling isn’t spectacular, it may be good enough to put Silva on his back.
If Rockhold could take the current UFC middleweight champion to the ground, his chances of winning the fight would increase tenfold.
Disregarding a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami, Anderson Silva‘s two most recent losses have come by submission. Since those defeats, few have even attempt to catch Silva on the ground. A fighter who attempted multiple switch kicks against Souza, Rockhold is the right kind of crazy to risk giving up position for a submission attempt against Silva.
Of course, this is all easier said than done. Once in the cage with Silva, we have seen much more experienced fighters than Rockhold abandon their game plan.
As many middleweight contenders before him have, Rockhold potentially carries the tools to beat Silva. That being said, his chances of beating Silva lie somewhere between slim and none.
The fact of the matter is, we’ve already seen fighters equally, or more, talented than Rockhold step into the cage with Silva. Even with all the weapons and game plans in the world, once they step into the octagon with the greatest fighter of all time, fighters are more concerned with surviving than winning.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com and LowKick.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
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