Issue 120

October 2014

Luke Rockhold is content to wait for his shot at UFC middleweight gold, because there’s no point getting upset when you can’t play the system.

Luke Rockhold has a dream. In fact, it’s more of a vision really. In it, he rolls up to his spiritual home, American Kickboxing Academy, parking his Toyota Tacoma truck ready for a day of grind on the mats. As he steps in through the front entrance, the San Jose mid-morning sun catches its reflection in the three golden belts lined up along the front desk.

They are the UFC heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight championship titles, the latter under the ownership of Rockhold, a former Strikeforce belt holder. In the present, between heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, 205lb sensation Daniel Cormier and himself, Rockhold insists AKA is on the cusp of domination in the Octagon. Ahead of 2015, he’s putting the entire fight world on notice.

“It’s inevitable that all three championship belts will reside at AKA very soon,” Rockhold states, flashing that trademark SoCal smile. “All three title belts, from middleweight to heavyweight, will be on display at AKA next year for sure.”

There is a sense of calm in his voice. Yet the storm, as 10 of 12 previous opponents will concur, comes later. Rockhold is ranked in every respectable fans’ list of the top five at 185lb right now, and in the line of potential title contenders for current world champion Chris Weidman.

Only former foe Vitor Belfort seemingly stands before him in the list of suitors. Though the ‘Phenom’s spectacular spinning head-kick knockout victory of Rockhold in Brazil last May is forever tarnished by the fact the Brazilian was a user of the now-banned testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) at the time. 

In July, Belfort was cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to fight in the state teeing up the UFC’s first choice next defense for Weidman against the former champion. Despite their opinion, Rockhold his own views on Belfort.

“Once a cheater always a cheater in my book... And these guys always find a way,” he states shrugging his shoulders.

“Given the fact he got popped for steroids in Nevada, Vitor has finally had to pass a test there. But Vitor has been making the rules up as he wanted for so long... He’s off TRT now, supposedly, if he’s following the rules, and I guess the doctors are saying his testosterone is back to normal. But what is a normal level? Guys on TRT are around 6:1 (testosterone to epitestosterone), so what is normal? Nobody knows.”

Rockhold admits he actually had his testosterone levels checked once. The 29-year-old was informed he was ‘dangerously low’ by the physician. “I tested my testosterone, during a trip to Las Vegas, and I was at like 300 or 350 (nanograms per deciliter), and the doctor said I was dangerously low on testosterone. But I put that down to a few wild nights in Vegas! 

“I certainly never thought about getting treatment because I know that when I sleep right and eat clean then I wake up feeling great, and that’s the sign of a good body. 

“I don’t get into the scientific side of sport. I just understand how the body functions with good food. I do my homework in regards to what to put into my body, to ensure it performs better, but I’m not monitoring my body scientifically. I never have and I never will. 

“I’m kind of from the old school, but with a new-school flavor. I think once you start getting scientists involved in trying to get that little bit extra out of your performance then I think you run the risk of walking that edge between competing and cheating. 

“Most people that want to go that far, in my opinion, are cheating... The sport is so messed up right now, I’m pretty sick of all of it. I’m pretty much lost for words about cheating now.”

Weighty eliminators

However, it’s not just the serial rule benders who have Rockhold’s skin crawling. He’s fighting for acceptance in a division that was stacked with MMA icons. Fighters who have transcended the sport and men who are able to use their stock to their advantage when it comes to opportunities.

Jumping weight classes for actual title eliminators is another bugbear that infuriates the skateboarding and surfing enthusiast prodigy. The likes of Vitor, Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida, according to Rockhold, have been afforded opportunities they don’t deserve simply on the strength of their names – leaving the AKA standout and the rest of the guys at 185lb waiting for scraps.

“Chael got more title shots jumping weight classes than anybody else. Him and Vitor had a bunch of so-called middleweight title eliminators fighting up at light heavyweight. These two were setting records for eliminators from a different weight division,” he remarks.

“Maybe I should move down to welterweight. All those guys are happy to fight one another and it’s really all happening down there... Or maybe I need to fight at 205lb to get my shot at 185lb too. I’ve already told Joe (Silva, UFC matchmaker) actually, ‘Anything interesting at light heavy, let me know, and I’ll do it.’ Seriously, I’ll take a fight at light heavyweight no problem.”

Rockhold also believes it was reputation rather than representation that led to Lyoto Machida getting a shot at Weidman in the summer. He says: “Machida comes in and he beats Munoz, who’s ranked what, eighth at the time, and then he beats unranked Mousasi and gets a shot at the title.”

Then adds: “Don’t get me wrong, I get it. With GSP and Anderson (Silva) out, the UFC needs big names to sell big fights. Vitor is still a star name and Machida is still a big name, and that’s why these guys are getting the opportunity to do what suits them to maneuver title shots. It’s frustrating of course, but I get it. It makes sense.

“Guys like myself have to build ourselves into the limelight and perform when we can and force our way to the top of TV cards and into those title fights.

“But, regardless of what other people are or are not doing, I’m just waiting for the right fight to fall into my lap. I know I’m in the heat of things. I’m just waiting for the phone to ring, and if Joe has got a good fight for me then I’m going to take it. 

“I want to move up to the top. I want my shot, I want my chance at the title, and I’ve called enough guys out to try and make it happen. It’s kind of funny actually. Honestly, I don’t know what else to do right now. Everything and everybody has been tied up for most of the summer, so I’ve just been trying to hang back and enjoy myself a little bit.”

Ready and waiting

With teammates Velasquez and Cormier having enjoyed fruitful summers – the heavyweight champ filming TUF Latin America opposing Fabricio Werdum and ‘DC’ emerging as the next title contender at 205lb – Rockhold has taken something of a spectator role in his own weight class, initiated by a broken toe coming out of his last fight when he choked out Tim Boetsch in little more than two minutes in April.

Yet with the injury healed and more shuffling of the middleweight pack above and below him in the meantime, Rockhold is keen to get his aspirations back on track before the year is out and ahead of that title push in the New Year.

Rocking back in his chair, he admits: “My situation is pretty good right now. I’m not in a bad spot. I’m actually pretty happy. I’m stoked for my boys, Cain and DC, of course. DC coming out and performing amazingly last time out, just as we all knew he would.

“Myself and Cain have been in this sport alongside one another the entire time. We’ve grown alongside each other in MMA and both supported one another throughout this journey. Then DC came into the sport and he’s just run with us from the start. He’s grown with us now too, and we have that kind of relationship, like brothers, all being homegrown guys from AKA.

“Both myself and DC were helping Cain out a little bit by coaching on The Ultimate Fighter season, then DC had his camp for his fight and stuff, but it’s been a good few months. I’ve been off for most of the summer, just traveling to events and doing things here and there, but it looks like all three of us should be back in the gym around the same time aiming for end-of-year fights so that should work out great.”

And in regards to whom he fights next, Rockhold admits he’s wide open to offers and possibilities. “Wanderlei’s freed up now and that’s a fun fight,” he says. “If I need to fight ‘Jacare’ (Souza) again I’d be down for that too. Or, I was out in Berlin watching Gegard Mousasi win, and that fight works for me also. I just want a fight that helps me to move forward and, hopefully, that fight’s not too far out.”

He adds: “I like Mousasi. But he’s too complacent on the bottom. There are a lot of guys like that in the sport, guys who get taken down and think it’s time to take a break. But you’ve got to get up. You don’t win the fight from the bottom, you’ve got to get back on your feet. You’ll never have seen me get comfortable on the bottom, I get up. 

“If I play my jiu-jitsu game from the bottom then it’s going to be quick. It’s going to be a sweep, a guillotine or some other kind of submission. I’m not going to sit around. When I hit the ground I move fast to make things happen and better my position. But a lot of guys, Mousasi included, don’t do that, and that’s how you lose fights.”

Whether Rockhold’s triple UFC title prediction comes true next year only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, and that is the AKA middleweight has had enough of promoting the sport. He’s ready to get back in and show the world he’s got what it takes to rule again at 185lb.

‘Make that four UFC titles coming to AKA in 2015’

Usually, when Luke Rockhold hits the mats for training at AKA he gets paired with big guys like Cormier and Velasquez to run drills or spar. Not many queue up to compete, even in training, with the 12-2 former Strikeforce champion.

Yet there is one smaller guy that actively seeks Rockhold out on the mats, unbeaten Russian lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, a man Luke insists is the baddest guy out there at 155 pounds.

“When you talk about belts coming to AKA soon, then Khabib is another guy in that equation,” Rockhold states. “Potentially we could have four UFC titles at AKA. I don’t even know whether that’s even happened in the UFC before, but believe me, it could happen next year.”

He adds: “Work ethic is a big part of his style, it’s just the way they’re bred over there. Khabib has been fighting sambo his entire life and he’s just so tough and strong-minded. He’s big, he’s tenacious, and he’s a smart kid too. He knows what he’s doing. 

“Russia needs a fresh standout superstar in MMA and while I accept they have a couple of guys doing big things in the sport, I truly believe Khabib is the one. 

“Khabib is a different breed to most people. I’ve trained with a couple of high-level 155l-pounders in my time in the sport, but Khabib actively seeks me out when we are hard grappling or wrestling in training. Not a lot of people at my gym come looking for me during a practice, that’s for sure, not a lot of middleweights never mind anybody smaller. 

“He comes at me and gives me a real go. He’s often harder for me to deal with than some of the bigger guys. I like it. He’s got a lot of speed and technique and that pushes me to work different facets to my game. I’ve got to work my ass off against that kid. 

“I don’t see anybody at that weight that can beat him. They can continue to avoid him, but he’ll definitely beat (Anthony) Pettis and the rest of those guys. 

“He’s a horrible, horrible matchup for anybody at lightweight. But, he’s 22-0 and 6-0 in the UFC, so they can’t hold him down or deny him for very much longer.”