Rivalries: Luke Rockhold

While a series of injuries, ill-fated setbacks and a faulty chin conspired together to dim much of the light that once surrounded Luke Rockhold, his accomplishments at his peak are impossible to deny.

The former Strikeforce and Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder rattled off 15 victories across his first 17 professional appearances. It was an extended run of success that shot him to the top of the 185-pound weight class and earned him a place on most reputable pound-for-pound lists. However, Rockhold has competed only four times—three of those bouts resulted knockout losses—in the past six years, leaving him as something of a forgotten man among his contemporaries. He was booked for a comeback opposite Sean Strickland at UFC 268 in November, but a back injury forced his withdrawal and further muddied his future prospects.

As the mixed martial arts community awaits word on Rockhold’s next move, a look at some of the rivalries that helped shape his career:

Ronaldo Souza

Rockhold entered an entirely new dimension in his MMA career with a downright dazzling performance, as he scrambled out of trouble on the mat and battered “Jacare” with a variety of punches and kicks to capture the Strikeforce middleweight crown with a unanimous decision on Sept. 10, 2011 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. The American Kickboxing Academy rep swept the scorecards in the Strikeforce “Barnett vs. Kharitonov” co-feature: 50-45, 48-47 and 48-47. Rockhold weathered a handful of takedowns and broke free from the Brazilian’s notorious grip on the ground, as he repeatedly returned to his feet and went back to outstriking the champion. The lead left hand was his primary weapon, though he mixed in other strikes with beautiful timing and precision. Unable to keep Rockhold on his back, the two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist largely abandoned the takedown and clinch game late in the fight, and though he wobbled the Californian with two overhand rights, he was woefully outgunned on the feet.

Vitor Belfort

“The Phenom” leveled Luke Rockhold with a spectacular spinning heel kick and polished off the former Strikeforce middleweight champion with a swarm of punches on the ground in the UFC on FX 8 headliner on May 18, 2013 at the Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. Belfort finished it 2:32 into Round 1, spoiling the Californian’s hotly anticipated Octagon debut. Rockhold pecked away with punches and kicks but never had a chance to establish himself in the match. Belfort measured his steps, let loose with the kick and delivered it with equal parts power and precision. Rockhold went down, and though he was still conscious, the American Kickboxing Academy standout could not withstand the follow-up barrage. It was Rockhold’s first setback in five-plus years.

Chris Weidman

Rockhold became the seventh undisputed middleweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history when he stopped the Serra-Longo Fight Team star with punches in the fourth round of their UFC 194 co-main event on Dec. 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Battered and bloodied, the previously unbeaten Weidman succumbed to blows 3:12 into Round 4. After plenty of give and take in the first two rounds, Rockhold turned the fight his way in the third, where he countered an ill-conceived wheel kick from the “All-American” with a takedown, moved to the back, set his hooks and eventually advanced to full mount. From there, Rockhold unleashed some savage ground-and-pound with sharp elbows and concussive punches. Referee Herb Dean showed surprising restraint in allowing Weidman to continue on. When the round ended, he staggered back to his corner a shell of his full-strength self. Rockhold picked up where he left off in the fourth, as he delivered another takedown, moved to an advantageous position and mopped up what was left with punches.

Michael Bisping

“The Count” stepped in as a short-notice replacement for an injured Weidman and authored one of the year’s biggest upsets, as he knocked out Rockhold and claimed the undisputed middleweight crown in the first round of their UFC 199 headliner on June 4, 2016 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Bisping shut the door in emphatic fashion 3:36 into Round 1, avenging a November 2014 submission loss to the Javier Mendez protégé. The shock value was off the charts. Rockhold tested the waters with kicks before the fight turned in an instant. Bisping connected with a chopping counter left hand that felled the American Kickboxing Academy ace. The badly dazed Rockhold tried to return to his feet but was immediately met with a clean left hook that dropped him against the cage. Bisping swooped in with follow-up punches and left referee John McCarthy no choice but to act.

Yoel Romero

The 2000 Olympic silver medalist knocked out Rockhold with a pair of left hands in the third round of their UFC 221 main event on Feb. 10, 2018 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. Because he was overweight for the match, Romero was not eligible for the interim middleweight title. As a result, the prize went unrewarded when Rockhold checked out 1:48 into Round 3. He controlled much of the first 10 minutes with a steady jab and kicks to the legs and body, though Romero reminded everyone of his explosive nature with a flurry of punches in the second round. Early in the third, the physically imposing American Top Team standout floored Rockhold with a knifing left hand and then finished him with a brutal standing-to-ground left uppercut.