It was no secret that Luke Rockhold was a very talented mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
Rockhold absolutely dismantled Lyoto Machida last night (Sat., April 18, 2015) in the main event of UFC on FOX 15, which took place inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)-trained standout -- a former Strikeforce Middleweight champion -- completely suffocated, abused and then finished the former Light Heavyweight champion.
And he needed less than two rounds to get it done.
It's fair to say that no other fighter has turned in such a dominant bell-to-bell performance against the "Dragon." While others such as Mauricio Rua and Jon Jones have had decisive success over the Brazilian, neither of them totally routed and outclassed the Brazilian the way Rockhold did last night.
Machida, seemingly, never had a chance.
It was definitely an eye-opening performance, one that now might force the promotion to book a true No. 1 contender match against Jacare Souza next. With division champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort already on a collision course, it would certainly make sense.
The end-of-the-year showdown inside Madison Square Garden that Rockhold called for in his post-fight interview? That's pie in the sky right now, but it would be made more incredible if he could get passed "Jacare" to make it happen.
For complete results from UFC on FOX 15: "Machida vs. Rockhold," including play-by-play updates, click here.
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