Luke Rockhold takes on Lyoto Machida UFC on Fox 15
UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold seeking to get back into the mix against the seasoned veteran Lyoto Machida. And at thirty years of age, Rockhold is in the prime of his career. While the former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida may have several years on the Californian. There is little doubting the Brazilian has all the tools to win this fight and get another shot at champion Chris Weidman.
And we are in for a clash of styles, as the Karate based Machida is set to pit his standup against that of Luke Rockhold’s Muay Thai and world-class ground game. The two southpaws will look to get the upper hand on the feet. And should it go to the ground, both are also well versed in ending fights.
Luke Rockhold vs Lyoto Machida Round One
And the first round gets underway with both fighters taking the centre of the octagon. With Lyoto’s probing style, he will look to try and blitz his opponent, usually on the counter. But there is no doubt that Rockhold has trained for just that and is more than ready to deal with what he thinks Machida will try an execute.
As the pair move around the octagon, they begin to exchange with The Dragon landing a nice left-right combination. But as he tries to push forward again, he grazes Rockhold, only to be caught with a right hand that sends him to the ground. Luke Rockhold sees his opening and follows up gaining top position and trying for a guillotine.
But it’s not in tight and Machida manages to wrangle his head free, out of the hold, but not out of danger. With Luke in top control, he is angling to gain a better position. And Lyoto Machida is fighting to either try and escape or at the very least avoid serious damage. Which is easier said than done with a big strong guy like Luke Rockhold applying pressure from the top.
With the AKA fighter controlling the ground exchange, Machida attempts to escape and almost does but is summarily dragged back to the ground. And Lyoto is fighting to get back to his feet, but its Rockhold who seems to have the strength advantage. Is not allowing any space and keeping a tight grip.
And with the constant pressure and unwillingness to allow Lyoto and space. Luke manages to land down some hard shots on the former champion. As he struggles to escape a rear-naked choke, with just a few minutes on the clock. Luke slams a hard elbow into Machida’s temple to end the round. With the now dazed Lyoto staggering back to his corner.
Round Two
As round two begins, we can tell that Machida is still hurt. Appearing wobbly on his feet, he does not look to have recovered from the first round. Battered and bruised, the Brazilian has a long five minutes ahead of him, can he survive? With Luke Rockhold looking progressively stronger. Now is his time to capitalise on the injured Machida, who at this point seems to still be suffering. Can he regain his composure and take the fight to his opponent?
Well, Luke appears to be on point and is now landing more frequently. And as Lyoto lurches in for a punch, he overshoots and once again ends up on the ground. Rockhold doesn’t miss to opportunity to make the most of the mistake and follows Machida down and once again gains the superior position.
With the Brazilian now appearing out of energy, out of his depth and badly injured. Rockhold manages to sink in a rear-naked choke to which Lyoto quickly taps out. In a stellar performance by the rising AKA fighter has yet another huge feather in his cap.