Luke Rockhold received a wake-up call in his Octagon debut at UFC on FX 8. The former Strikeforce champion had a long winning streak end with a spinning heel kick from Vitor Belfort in the first round.
Now the owner of back-to-back wins over opponents, who likely would have earned title shots had they beaten him, Belfort has emerged as the middleweight most deserving of a fight with the winner of an upcoming title bout between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman.
The only reasonable way for Belfort to be denied that chance would be Silva taking a superfight or the champion finding himself in an immediate rematch with Weidman after an upset loss.
Rockhold, meanwhile, might have to take a significant step down in competition and prove he really is among the elite UFC middleweights.
With UFC on FX 8 in the books, let’s take a look at what should be next for Rockhold and the rest of the event’s competitors.