Hey guys,
Bit of a click bait title, but I like to take these pieces that other people would write and try to do them better :P
Tried something new for this one with annotated stills. If it helps and adds to the breakdown please let me know and I'll find more opportunities to do it!
Hope you don't mind clicking the link and as always all feedback is welcomed!
Cheers,
Jack
Luke Rockhold returned to form with a spectacular destruction of the dangerous Costas Philippou last night. Afterwards, Rockhold announced his desire for a bout with Michael Bisping and a rematch with Vitor Belfort.
Challenging Bisping is a win-win. He'll sell the fight for you, it's almost guaranteed to be the co-main event and Bisping will be returning from a long layoff due to injury and might not regain anything like his form in previous bouts.
If you want attention, call out someone you'll never have to fight. Roy Jones or someone in a different weight class. If you want to call out someone and actually fight them, someone coming off of a layoff is the best bet because they will engage you in Twitter beef just to keep their name in the spotlight.
But enough of my cynicism. Let's talk about Rockhold's showing last night and the question of Vitor Belfort.
What Did Rockhold Show Us Against Philippou?
Luke Rockhold looked sublime at Fight Night 35 as he walked down Philippou, kept the Cyprian along the cage and generally looked like he was the boss.Philippou's sole notable moment of offence came as he lunged in at Rockholdand the latter skipped back with a tight southpaw right hook in counter which dropped Philippou.
This is just standard Rockhold. He backs his opponent towards the fence, and if they circle to his left he throws the round kick. If they circle right he throws the back kick, and if they come at him he moves back and throws the counter right hook.
Using John Madden-esque draw-on-screen technology, here is Luke Rockhold in a nutshell.
1. Opponent circles to his own right, Rockhold intercepts with left round kick.
2. Opponent circles to his own left, Rockhold intercepts with left back kick.
3. Opponent rushes Rockhold, Rockhold retreats (leading with left foot) and throws counter right hook.
Rockhold does different stuff in bouts, obviously, but most good offensive fighters have a technique they favour in response to one direction of movement. We could do the same thing in breaking down the techinques of Matt Brown, Jon Jones or Anthony Pettis.
Back to that counter right hook. Rockhold showed it to Philippou seven or eight times in flinching and making it clear that this was his intended counter beforePhilippou actually commited. Philippou finally committed anyway and ate the hook.
From there on it was all downhill for Philippou as he was almost always backed into the fence and ate hard kicks to the body (including a kick once he hit the ground) that ended the bout.
Has Rockhold improved? Maybe. Bt he was given the type of fight he likes. Rockhold was the aggressor, and any time his opponent came forward it was slow enough that Rockhold could back straight up the same way and throw his counter right hook.
The Standard Method of Troubling Belfort
Now Vitor Belfort isn't a strategic magician. He comes in on a straight line and doesn't really move his head, but his form is crisp and he's as fast as anyone in the business.
If you back straight up against Vitor Belfort you're going to have a really bad time. It it not worth risking getting hit by one punch, then another one, and then more just to try and land a good countershot on someone who is fast enough to tighten up openings through speed alone.
What is needed to beat Belfort is a fighter who is able to step off of that line of attack. Even Anderson Silva, who loves that retreating right hook which isRockhold's forte, had to leave this line to escape Belfort.
Here is Jon Jones leaving the line in his own way with the same effect. Belfort can only punch fast enough to leave no openings and overwhelm folks for so long, and he has a habit of mentally shutting down when the fight isn't going his way. Sidestepping his rushes cannot be overstated; it is vital for anyone fighting against him to be able to pivot off like this.
The other thing which does Belfortin is facing a fighter who can jam his charges with a stiff kick.
We're not talking a lazy teep just to tick a box, the kind you'll occasionally see Urijah Faber attempt, but instead a Jon Jones side kick, or the back kick that Kazushi Sakuraba brokeBelfort down with a decade earlier. Vitor can keep getting better at what he does, but as long as it is coming in on a straight line the same stuff will always be the key.
Distance is the key against Belfort, but if you have no means of keeping it he's just going to swarm all over you.
Does Rockhold Have It in Him?
