Rockhold criticizes Strickland's strategy in defeat to Poatan at UFC 276: 'He proved he's stupid'

L. Rockhold has remained away from MMA since 2019. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

With a fight scheduled to face Paulo borrachinha in Ultimate, Luke Rockhold remains attentive to the movement of the category. Former middleweight champion (up to 83,9kg), the North American fired a shot at the stance adopted by Sean Strickland in the fight against Alex Poatán valid by UFC 276, event held last Saturday (2).

In an interview with 'Submission Radio', Rockhold reveals that he does not understand why Strickland would try to exchange blows against Poatan, who is recognized precisely for his successful past in kickboxing and his large arsenal of striking moves. Sean ended up brutalized with a knockout in the first round.

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“I think he was fooled by the system. Sean (Strickland) just proved how dumb he is. The system wanted him to try to hook up with Poatan and prove this stupid point, and he just fell for it. It happens. You try to prove yourself too much and do something stupid. This is the game, this is the fighting game. It’s a s*** mental battle, and he lost the battle,” Rockhold said.

While Strickland took a step back from his dream of fighting for the title and Poatan positioned himself to face Adesanya, Luke tries to rebuild his path in the company. Without playing since July 2019, the North American adjusts his duel game against Paulo borrachinha, scheduled to take place in UFC 278 of August 20th. He is coming off a bad streak, with two knockouts in his last appearances.