Machida: Rockhold's ground game doesn't scare me

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                                Machida: Rockhold's ground game doesn't scare me

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                    <p>UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold&#39;s sole loss in his past 13 fights is to Vitor Belfort. He won the past three in an average time of 3:32, stopping Michael Bisping, Tim Boetsch, and Costas Philippou. Now Rockhold fights Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC on FOX 15 on April 18.</p>

Ronaldo Souza and Yoel Romero also fight on the same card. The winner of one of the two fights is likely to get a shot at the winner of division champion Chris Weidman vs. Belfort at UFC 184 on Feb 28. Machida is aware of all it, and is intent on both getting a title again, and on the main event fight.

"Being in the main event again is great, and I want to give the fans a great performance," said Machida to Guilherme Cruz for MMAFighting.com.

"I think this is a good fight for me. He has a good striking, but I’m ready. If the fight goes to the ground, I will also be ready for everything he does, and I will try to surprise him as well. He’s a top 5, he’s been doing great in his fights and his ground game is really good, but I can go to the ground with him and do well. His ground game doesn’t scare me at all."

"Every fight is different. I don’t look much to the past, I just see how he is today. It’s hard to say. I can see holes in his game. I haven’t studied his fights yet, but from what I already watched before, his fights in the UFC and Strikeforce, it’s a tough fight, but I’m confident. He’s a complete fighter."

"I will go for the knockout or a submission, but I can’t make a prediction on how I’m going to win. He is really tough, so I can’t say much. We will have to wait and see."

"Of course that I want to fight for the title, but that’s not something I’m thinking about right now. I have a tough fight ahead of me and I have to concentrate, but a win over Luke Rockhold will obviously put me right up there because we’re both close to fighting for the UFC title.

"2015 is going to be a great year, a year of big fights. I already have my first challenge. Rockhold called me out, and I’m ready. I want to become champion again. Rockhold is a tough guy, is coming off a lot of wins, and it’s going to be a big fight. My focus is the title. I want to be the middleweight champion."

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LMAO - good to know Weidman is fighting through his injury.

FFS, this is way worse than a typo Phone Post 3.0

Rockhold has a better ground game than weidman. Gl Machida

I think luke dominates machida and emerges as a top tier mma fighter Phone Post 3.0

I think it's better for the division if Luke wins and he gets closer to a title shot but if no title implications were on the line I would prefer Machida to win as I like him more

Aaron Becker - I think it's better for the division if Luke wins and he gets closer to a title shot but if no title implications were on the line I would prefer Machida to win as I like him more

I agree with this. I think if He wins Jacare will get the title shot over him though. I dont see Yoel being favored over Machida or Rockhold for one.

wanted to go to watch this one live very much but just couldn't swing it.
Think this will be a very good technical match up. Don't see either finishing the other to be honest.

This fight will be one big orgasm for the purists Phone Post 3.0

Machida take this.

Luke Rockhold is a stud and one of my favorite fighters, but Machida has a habit of making guys who arent Champions look stupid.

Aaron Becker - I think it's better for the division if Luke wins and he gets closer to a title shot but if no title implications were on the line I would prefer Machida to win as I like him more

I agree. I really dont want them both to fight each other. I would love to see Rockhold vs Weidman.

I am like the only person who thinks machida is probably better in the ground.

Not to mention way better on the feet and wrestling.

Nachida has one sub Loss to jones. In bjj he did quite well. His match with lovato jr is great Phone Post 3.0

Rockhold is way overrated. Machida will own him. Phone Post 3.0

Sucks that Machida has to keep fighting studs every month, he isn't getting younger. Statistically he can't win over and over and over again against top tier fighters. He should have gotten another title shot ASAP, especially in light of Anderson's failed test, the fact he was super competitive against Weidman and his overall pedigree.