UFC on FX8: Belfort vs. Rockhold

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold debuts against a middleweight contendor in Vitor Belfort who has only ever lost to the very best.

Traditionally, when Belfort wins he finishes his opponents early with powerful strikes that some consider the fastest in the UFC.  When he loses, the muscular TRT-laden Belfort gasses out.  And although he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Belfort rarely uses it.  The exception being the Jon Jones fight when he nearly submitted the indomitable light heavyweight champion with an arm bar.

Luke Rockhold blends wrestling, boxing, kicking and submission skills into one of the most well-rounded opponents Belfort has ever faced.  Though not particularly outstanding or dangerous in any specific area, the sum of the whole puts Rockhold on collision course to eventually fight for the middleweight championship, perhaps as soon as his next fight should he leave victorious.

With a height and reach advantage, most feel Rockhold may be able to stay out of harm's way early in the fight and long enough to wear Belfort out and open him up to his kicks, takedowns and submissions.  But Vitor's speed and his power have deceived previous opponents and if Rockhold doesn't protect his chin, he'll join the trophies on Belfort's wall.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UFC 160: Five Friday Questions

Image
1.  CAN SILVA AVOID THE GROUND? In their last meeting, Bigfoot Silva threw a low kick, Cain Velasquez quickly caught the kick, took Silva to the ground and dominated him from there.  Since that time, Silva admitted he made a mistake in his approach with Cain, but does that mean he won't throw kicks?  Is he practicing his takedown defense?  Cain is not only the fastest heavyweight but also the best wrestler, Cormier notwithstanding.  On his feet, Cain has been wobbled and his only loss came when Junior Dos Santos caught him in a stand-up exchange.  Silva might also hope to gas him out like he did with Alistair Overeem before he put him away, but Cain also possesses the best cardio in the division.  Still, anything is better than fighting Cain on the ground. 2.  WILL JUNIOR DOS SANTOS TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE GROUND? Dos Santos can outbox pretty much anyone in his division but any fighter who tries to stand with Hunt may land a few successfully, ...
Read more

UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen

Why bother, it seems, with Jon "Bones" Jones holding an edge over Chael Sonnen in every conceivable area the fight could rumble through. Striking?  Only Lyoto Machida, master of accuracy and speed, has come close to outstriking him and that was in the first round. Submissions?  Jones has submitted the last two BJJ black belts he's faced. Physicals?  Jones has the longest reach in any division and is the second tallest light heavyweight. Wrestling?  That just so happens to be Chael's biggest strength.  And Jones's. So what happens when Chael tries to pressure Jones with takedowns?  He'll need to threaten Jones with his own strikes to open up an opportunity for a takedown, but if he dares tread there he'll face Jones's UFC-best reach, elbows, oblique kicks and side kicks.  Clinch and you enter the elbow zone.  Kick and you find yourself on your back and again in the dreaded elbow zone.  A Sonnen victory would be a bigger upset than Ma...
Read more

UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Silva 2

Image
Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez walked through Antonio Silva like a paper finish line when they first fought one year ago.  Velasquez took Silva down early in the fight and finished him on the ground,  taking almost zero damage.  Coming into this fight we can only wonder if anything will change. Since their last meeting, Silva plastered both Travis Browne and heavily-favored former K-1 champ Alistair Overeem on their feet.  Neither of them threatened to take him to the ground, whereas the heavyweight champion wields the best MMA wrestling in his division and drags everyone down into his domain.  In reclaiming his throne, the constant threat of takedowns and actual attempts rattled former champion and boxing wunderkind Junior Dos Santos to the point it was Velasquez who landed the most significant strikes.  Silva must defend those takedowns or try to catch him much in the way Junior Dos Santos did in handing Velasquez his first loss. While Silva's...
Read more