Rockhold sends a message to the elite at middleweight
They keep pumping them out at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. The trio of Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch and Mike Swick is lights out in the UFC's welterweight division. Heavyweight Cain Velasquez is as well-regarded as any young fighter in the game. AKA middleweight Luke Rockhold is a little further away but it's time to take a serious look at him.
The 24-year-old is a big kid for the weight at 6-foot-3 and he's adding striking to his already dangerous submission game. Cory Devela kept bragging about something called "Cowboy Karate." If it means "walking straight forward with your chin exposed," he's a black belt. Devela walked straight into a huge right from Rockhold just five seconds into the fight and down he went, face first. Rockhold jumped behind him and unloaded 28 unanswered punches and hammerfists. Rockhold started to let up thinking that referee Joe De Robbio would stop it. He didn't, so Rockhold put the hooks in and slapped on a rear-naked choke. All those punches had smashed Devela's nose so the choke forced blood to squirt out of Devela's schnoz. He was forced to tap. All that in 30 seconds!
"It's exactly what I was talking about, counter-punching," Rockhold told Showtime color analyst Stephen Quadros in the cage. "He's got that Cowboy Karate style, he comes in kind of wild. His hands come down. I said, I've got pretty good counter-punching."
It was a picture perfect punch that blasted Devela on the chin:
"That right hand, I've been dropping a lot of people in the gym with full pads. I knew if I could work it here with small gloves, I was going to put somebody down."
Rockhold (5-1, 4-0 Strikeforce) has won his last three fights by rear-naked choke and all five of his victories have come via submission. Devela (9-3) is no chump. He's got a win over Joe Riggs and quality losses against Terry Martin, Ed Herman and Lodune Sincaid.
STRIKEFORCE UNDERCARD RESULTS:
Dennis Hallman def. Justin Davis via (submission) rear naked choke 0:20 R1
Brian Caraway def. Alex Zuniga via unanimous decision
Lyle Beerbohm def. Duane Ludwig via submission (schoolyard choke) 4:27 R1
Landon Showalter def. George Stork via unanimous decision
Len Bentley def. Marques Daniels via unanimous decision
Steve Hadsel def. Taylor Roberts via knockout (punches) 0:17 R1
Results via MMAMania
Related Videos:
Comments