Luke Rockhold UFC (Photo : Photo: Twitter)
Speed kills.
It's an age-old statement proven in the fight business by world champions from the Muhammad Alis and the Manny Pacquiaos of boxing, to the Anderson Silvas and Demetrious Johnsons of mixed martial arts.
For Luke Rockhold, this important facet is what he will lean on when he squares off against Chris Weidman for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 194.
"People wanna say this is a close fight," Rockhold said during his recent appearance on Submission Radio. "I don't see it as (a close fight), though. I think Chris is gonna be tough for a round, maybe two."
He continued: "I'm gonna run away with this fight and I'm gonna take the belt home - another belt coming back to AKA."
The native of Santa Cruz, California truly believes that his quickness and speed will spell the difference in the co-main event bout.
And he couldn't stress it enough.
"Chris is just too slow, he's too slow, he's too slow," he stated. "That's all I gotta say. He's slow, slow, and he's slow."
Other than his prowess on the feet, the American Kickboxing Academy fighter possesses a slick submission game as well, finishing the likes of Lyoto Machida, Michael Bisping, and Tim Boetsch.
But, majority of these tap outs were the result of Rockhold's crisp and powerful stand up.
With this, he promises to bring the fight to Weidman come UFC 194.
"I'm gonna hit him harder, and I'm gonna challenge him in way he hasn't (been challenged before)," he said of his opponent. "I'm gonna put on a pace that he hasn't felt before, and I'm not running from the man. Trust me."
Rockhold followed: "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."
Of course training with past and present champions in the form of Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier also has its perks.
"He's not going to bring anything that I'm not used to," Rockhold shared. "I know he's good on the feet, I know he's good on the ground, but the same thing as with Machida on the ground. I have a different level of speed and athleticism and funk, and he's not going to keep up with me."
Luke Rockhold has a parting shot to Chris Weidman - a well-known All-American wrestler.
"If he wants to take it to the ground, he's not going to be able to keep up."
