Luke Rockhold will look to take home UFC gold when he faces Chris Weidman at UFC 194, and according to the former Strikeforce champ the middleweight titlist won’t pose much of a challenge come fight night. He spoke to Submission Radio about the match up.
“I think he’s a very tough guy. I think he’s gotten into this division at the right time. But it’s a new age and there’s a new crop of guys coming up that are on a different level than anyone he’s ever faced, and I’m leading the way. He’s in trouble.”
“People wanna say this is a close fight. I don’t see it as that though,” Rockhold said. “I think Chris is gonna be tough for a round, maybe two. I’m gonna run away with this fight and I’m gonna take the belt home,” Rockhold said. “Another belt coming back to AKA. Chris is just too slow, he’s too slow, he’s too slow. That’s all I gotta say. He’s slow, slow, and he’s slow.”
Apart from speed, Rockhold seems confident has has the edge in just about every area.
“I’m not so much worried about Chris. We’re just focusing on myself and my attributes, my intangibles that he doesn’t have. He wants my speed, my athleticism and my overall game. I believe I have more cardio, I have more heart, more will, more technical in every aspect of the game I think. I respect his wrestling. I think he thinks it’s going to play too much of a role. I’m gonna shut down his wrestling, I’m gonna open up every other hole in his game.”
“I think he’s slow and he’s got he’s gotten by on his toughness and his wrestling. I’m gonna be faster, I’m gonna hit him harder, and I’m gonna challenge him in ways he hasn’t [been challenged before].”
He also spoke about pushing the pace and controlling distance — traits that both of these fighters are known for.
“I’m not scared of Weidman. He’s fighting all these guys that are scared of his wrestling and letting him dictate the pace of the fight,” Luke stated. “I dictate the pace of my fights and no one else”
“I have a different level of speed and athleticism and funk, and he’s not going to keep up with me. If he wants to take it to the ground, he’s not going to be able to keep up. You know, it’s the same thing on the feet. I’ve just got those intangibles that he can’t keep up with, whether on the ground or on the feet, and that’s why I plan on exposing every weakness he has.”
“I’m gonna put on a pace that he hasn’t felt before, and I’m not running from the man. Trust me. I’m gonna be hunting this guy down like I hunt every fighter down. You know, I hunt ‘em and then I bait them in. I hunt them and I bait them in. This is going to be no different, come 12th of December.”
Rockhold also had a very specific prediction on how this fight ends.
“I’m going to shut Chris Weidman down in the first round. I’m gonna expose him in the second round. And I’m gonna finish him with a left kick, followed by a left punch, simultaneously.”
You can watch the entire interview on the clip above. Weidman has since responded on twitter after learning of Rockhold’s statements on Submission Radio:
Love this. Just wanted to make sure some more people see this and remember this on December 12th. https://t.co/Wp2I7DFPvs
— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) October 26, 2015
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