On Saturday, April 18th, Luke Rockhold will step into the cage and take on Lyoto Machida as the main event of UFC on Fox 15. It’s a big fight with big title implications for both men, Rockhold especially. However, Rockhold has nothing but good vibes toward his opponent, telling Phoenix Carnevale in a pre-fight interview that he and Lyoto are “both true martial artists at the top of the game.” And while that may be true of Machida, Rockhold did have some less than kind words for some of his past opponents.
When asked if he would like to see Vitor Belfor beat Chris Weidman, setting up a potential title bout between he and Belfort and a chance for revenge, Rockhold was quick to say that he has no desire to see Belfort win anything, even at the cost of his own revenge.
No, I wish nothing good for Vitor. You know, that I don’t think he deserves anything in life. I think Weidman is the better fighter. Sure, it’d be sweet to beat Vitor for the title and get my revenge, but I think Weidman’s the better fighter and he’s gonna win.
And, while discussing staredown techniques, Rockhold admitted that he doesn’t really have many, but tailors his approach to his opponent and what message he wants to get across. Most particularly, he tailored his approach to Michael Bisping, who he felt was especially unaware of his chances.
Just… Nothing too out of the ordinary. Just, Bisping… Just laughing at Bisping basically, because he just didn’t know what he was in for. He was just telling me, he’s like “You know, you have no idea what you’re in for, da da.” I remember that’s what he was saying to me.
When a guy’s that delusional, I just laugh at him. So, I was happy to go out there and wake him up.
Rockhold also spoke about his relaxed attitude going into this fight, the high stakes, and what it’s like to face an opponent he really respects, like Machida. Check it all out.
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