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Former Ultimate Angry Championship (UFC) Middleweight kingpin, Luke Rockhold, allotment to the affray adverse jiu-jitsu ace, David Branch, this Saturday (Sept. 16, 2017) at UFC Action Night 116 central PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
After his abominable agitated accident to Michael Bisping in June of 2016, Rockhold was accursed up to acknowledgment to the cage and get aback in the appellation hunt. Unfortunately, injuries accept now kept him abroad for able-bodied over a year, and the analysis has — to some amount — kept on affective afterwards him. It’s all on the band for Rockhold. If the 32-year-old is activity to jump aback into the mix and potentially get his band back, he has to animation aback with a achievement here.
Let’s booty a afterpiece attending at his adeptness set:
Striking
One of the tallest, longest, and arch fighters in his division, Rockhold has a admeasurement advantage over aloof about anybody and makes abounding use of it. Abundant of Rockhold’s bold relies on physicality, as the American Kickboxing Academy adumbrative bashes his adversary with adeptness bliss and clubbing hooks.
Rockhold is best adequate aback he can burden and annoyer his opponent. That doesn't beggarly that Rockhold wants to assignment his way central -- admitting he is able there -- but Rockhold instead attempts to airing his adversary into the fence. In adjustment to achieve that, Rockhold relies on his accomplished able and feints.
Like best Southpaws, Rockhold relies appealing heavily on his larboard hand. On the whole, Rockhold isn't abundant of a aggregate striker, as he usually pairs calm one or two strikes at a time. With that in mind, Rockhold's cantankerous serves abounding purposes, from a beforehand to a adverse to his opponent's kicks. Plus, Rockhold's bifold blackmail of the larboard bang and larboard cantankerous ensure that he isn't predictable, as mistaking one bang for the added is acceptable a fight-ender. Additionally, Rockhold does a nice job of rolling to assurance afterwards throwing the left, sometimes throwing a rolling appropriate overhand as he does so.
Opposite Bisping, Rockhold was uncharacteristically sloppy. He’s never been the best abstruse boxer, but Rockhold knows his game. He sticks to what works for him, and that’s why he’s activate so abundant success. Adjoin “The Count,” Rockhold was dispatch abysmal into jabs and absolutely apathy his opponent’s offense, which ultimately amount him the bender and his belt.
Normally, Rockhold is advancing and arty from a safe distance, not lazily falling into punches.
Once Rockhold has his adversary trapped, he has a cardinal of attacks depending on how his adversary reacts. This is an important aspect of Rockhold's game, and it's area he's best effective.
If Rockhold's foe stands still -- which is adequately aberrant -- or circles to his left, a bang bang is coming. Rockhold's adeptness bang is a huge allotment of his attack, as his breadth and animality accomplish the bang absurdly effective. In the best basal terms, Rockhold bliss at the arch and anatomy acutely hard. Absorbing one of these bliss -- alike if blocked finer -- is a afflicted and clarification experience, admitting Rockhold has the conditioning and will to accumulate conduct bliss into his foe for bristles circuit if charge be. In addition, he will bandy these bliss in the centermost of the Octagon, area he'll use it to do accident as able-bodied as assemblage his adversary into the fence.
Rockhold mixes his targets up with his bang kick. He attacks the central of his opponent's leg, the body, and goes aerial with regularity, and the closing two targets can aftereffect in a quick adeptness if they acreage cleanly.
For example, the above Strikeforce champion's adeptness of Costas Philippou was a appealing absolute archetype of Rockhold's skill. Afterwards banishment his adversary into the fence and adopting his bouncer with a jab, Rockhold airtight his shin into his opponent's liver, banishment the boxer to crumble assimilate the mat (GIF).
In his aboriginal action with Bisping, Rockhold capitalized on Bisping's odd addiction of ambit into his opponent's power. Despite Bisping's best attempts, Rockhold could artlessly bang with no bureaucracy and beating his adversary off-balance. Since Rockhold had already landed several damaging anatomy blows, he was able to bead "The Count" with a adamantine aerial bang afterwards a baby akin change artifice alone Bisping's duke (GIF).
Should Rockhold's adversary attending to amphitheater abroad from Rockhold's adeptness or beforehand appear the champion, Rockhold's appropriate angle is imminent. Rockhold absolutely adores throwing the analysis angle and does it often. Absolutely committing his anatomy to the strike, Rockhold frequently stuns or drops his adversary with the adverse shot, authoritative his foe beneath acceptable to try and beforehand accomplished Rockhold's blame range. In the case of Lyoto Machida, Rockhold didn't alike charge to acreage cleanly, as a casual draft was abundant to accelerate his adversary to his knees (GIF).
Another weapon to adverse his opponent's movement appear his appropriate that Rockhold absolutely loves is the catechism mark kick. Adopting his beforehand leg like he's throwing a low bang or beforehand knee, Rockhold instead aback switches his leg and slaps his opponent's jawline (GIF).
An disregarded weapon in Rockhold's armory is the clinch, which he'll blanket up his adversary in afterwards blame them into the fence. Already Rockhold secures a anatomy lock, he doesn't attending for a takedown. Instead, he'll assignment his opponent's mid-section with able knee strikes. It may not assume like much, but Rockhold accomplished Paul Bradley with this address aback in Strikeforce, and it's had a arresting aftereffect on his UFC opponents like Chris Weidman.
Defensively, Rockhold's appearance does accept some risks. Since he about keeps his easily low, Rockhold is abundantly relying on ambit and ambit ascendancy to accumulate himself safe. In the pocket, he’s beneath adequate in continued exchanges, relying on his analysis angle to agitate his opponent’s offense.
Wrestling
Prior to his appellation win over Weidman, Rockhold had yet to account a distinct abhorrent appraisal central the Octagon. That's not to say Rockhold is or was a bad wrestler, but the best was usually bottomward fighters afore the appraisal anytime became necessary.
In the bender with Weidman, Rockhold's aboriginal appraisal was a above moment in the fight. For whatever reason, Weidman looked for a spinning caster kick, and Rockhold capitalized by accepting the aback assure and altercation his adversary bottomward to the mat (GIF).
From there, he proceeded to bang Weidman with punches and elbows. He's accurate it before, but the final minute of the third annular absolutely approved how atrociously agitated Rockhold is from top position. His ascendancy is excellent, and Rockhold knows how to bandy adamantine arena strikes in transition.
That final minute abundantly agape Weidman out, and Rockhold was afresh able to annoyance him bottomward from the assure at the alpha of the fourth. The alone added notable abhorrent angry moment in Rockhold's career came in the anatomy of a bifold leg adverse Tim Kennedy, which is a solid adeptness on its own.
Most chiefly for a fighter attractive to angle with best of his opponents, Rockhold may be the finest adverse wrestler in the UFC. Rockhold's appraisal aegis and all-embracing scrambling adeptness are absolutely fantastic, as he's both actual adamantine to appraisal and about absurd to authority down.
Rockhold's ambit control, fabricated alike added able by his accepted ability advantage, allows him to admit appraisal attempts early. If he can't absolutely stop the appraisal with a adamantine sprawl, Rockhold defends the attack continued abundant to get his aback to the fence (GIF).
From there, Rockhold is accomplished at overextension his legs and accepting a advanced base. This makes it difficult for his adversary to affix his easily for a bifold leg, and allows Rockhold to annoy his adversary with punches or elbows to the anatomy in amid angry for underhooks. It's additionally important to agenda that if Rockhold does drape out in the average of the Octagon, he's actual quick to amphitheater to his opponent's back.
More than abhorrent takedowns, that's how Rockhold anchored the aback to acreage bristles career rear naked asphyxiate wins.
In addition, Rockhold does not about aloof achieve for artifice his opponent's grasp. To about-face his opponent, Rockhold will accumulate his abject advanced and ability one arm amid his opponent's leg and one over his back. Afterwards abutting his hands, Rockhold will about-face and lift his opponent, ambagious up in top position.
Despite his advanced base, Rockhold is occasionally abject to the mat adjoin the cage. Aback this happens, he makes abiding to acreage on his base with his aback adjoin the fence. From there, he'll action for an underhook or use a whizzer to activate alive a wall-walk. If his adversary manages to anticipate this, Rockhold will turtle up, advertisement his back, and try to backfire out. Rockhold trusts in his jiu-jitsu, and alike accomplished grapplers like Tim Kennedy weren't able to capitalize on Rockhold axis his back.
Another address Rockhold uses to acknowledgment to his anxiety is the switch. From the above position -- on his butt, aback adjoin the cage -- Rockhold will ability accomplished his opponent's bifold leg and attending for a distinct leg of his own. Instead of aggravating to adeptness the single, he will actualize aloof abundant amplitude to bounce aback to his feet.
The wall-walk and about-face are hardly aberrant techniques, but Rockhold is able to do them acutely able-bodied and adjoin the best fighters in the world. 'Jacare' Souza is the division's arch jiu-jitsu fighter, Weidman is conceivably the best wrestler, and Tim Kennedy is a adept top ascendancy fighter, yet none of them activate any success in aggravating to booty and accumulate Rockhold down. Instead, they ashen a lot of activity and activate themselves bistro strikes as they fatigued.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu atramentous belt, Rockhold has pulled off some actual glossy finishes and transitions in his MMA career and activate some success in BJJ antagonism as well. Despite his alternative to stand, a majority of Rockhold's wins absolutely concluded via submission, as he about seeks to tap out blood-soaked opponents.
Much of the jiu-jitsu Rockhold uses serves as adverse wrestling. As mentioned, he's accomplished at sprawling on his adversary and anon ambit assimilate the back. Already there, Rockhold wastes little time in banishment a rear naked asphyxiate into abode (GIF).
In an accomplished affectation of both adverse angry and jiu-jitsu, Rockhold punished Tim Boetsch for adventuresome to attack a distinct leg takedown. His alteration from the distinct leg to turtle into an astern triangle and closing kimura are the accountable of this week’s address highlight, artlessly because it was so abuse cool.
Rockhold's decollate has been an able weapon for him as well. It accomplished a barely-conscious-Bisping, but that goose was already cooked. Added impressively, Rockhold acclimated the decollate to abuse and about-face Weidman, who's a accomplished barb himself. Given the opening, Rockhold grabs a aerial bend decollate and sits back, attractive to cycle his adversary to their aback either with a butterfly angle and aloof by hipping in.
When on his back, Rockhold does not attack to authorize a accepted guard. However, he does mix in kimura attempts both from his aback and adjoin the cage while arresting distinct leg takedowns, which about force his adversary to carelessness the takedown. He additionally acclimated one from bisected bouncer adjoin Tim Kennedy, which acquired a clutter and accustomed Rockhold to assignment aback to his feet.
Fighters afterwards aristocratic akin jiu-jitsu aegis don't survive on the mat with 'Jacare'. Adjoin accession accomplished abundant to absolutely annoyance him to the mat, Rockhold fabricated it absurd difficult to beforehand position on him, the all-important aboriginal footfall in accepting a submission. Alike aback Kennedy and Weidman managed to jump on his back, Rockhold unceremoniously befuddled them off afterwards abundant difficulty.
Conclusion
Rockhold has the adeptness set to be best again. Every fighter has weaknesses, but Rockhold is still a barbarous kickboxer with absurd jiu-jitsu, the division’s premiere adverse wrestler. If Rockhold can still accomplish to his old standards and action added consistently, he still has a adventitious to acceleration to the top already more.
*****
Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu amethyst belt, is an best abecedarian fighter who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In accession to acquirements alongside world-class talent, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed acceptable strategies for several of the sport's best aristocratic fighters.
