L. Rockhold (photo) considers fighting Machida. Photo: Esther Lin/Strikeforce
Last month, just days after losing to Chris Weidman in a fight for the middleweight belt, Lyoto Machida considered having his next fight against the former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold. And the North American accepted the challenge, saying he welcomed a possible fight against the Brazilian.
Rockhold, fifth in the under-84 kg division rankings, stated that a resounding victory over Machida, second, would bring him even closer to his goal, which is to compete for the category belt.
“Lyoto is an incredible fighter and I have a lot of respect for him. This is an interesting fight – I suggested it to Joe [Silva, responsible for matching fights in the UFC] and I'm definitely open to accepting it. Lyoto had a great fight with Weidman, so if I go there and beat Lyoto, maybe by submitting or knocking him out, which Weidman couldn't do, it would be a great message,” said Rockhold, in an interview with the “Submission Radio” podcast.
However, the fighter believes that his next opponent will leave the fight between Ronaldo Jacare e Gegard Mousasi, headlining UFC Fight Night 50, on September 5th. “I personally think I will fight the winner of Jacaré and Mousasi. They make a fight a little more intriguing and it would solidify who is, in fact, the next challenger”, he added.
Rockhold, 29 years old, is on a two-fight winning streak in the UFC, knocking out Costas Philippou and submitting Tim Boetsch. Before that, in his debut in the organization, he suffered a tough knockout against Vitor belfort in Jaraguá do Sul (SC).
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