Luke Rockhold details how "arrogance and stupidity" cost him title fight with Michael Bisping, explains gameplan flaws in Jan Blachowicz loss
Luke Rockhold has confessed that his arrogance cost him the most important fight of his career. Rockhold recently accepted that his "arrogance and stupidity" were responsible for him losing the UFC middleweight championship to Michael Bisping in the first-round of their rematch. They first met in the octagon for a non-title fight in 2014 which led to Rockhold winning by submission. The 37-year-old recently told his teammate and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier:
"I think with Bisping, second time around with Bisping. I was arrogant. Arrogance and stupidity and just coming forward, you know."
Luke Rockhold had Michael Bisping on the backfoot during the initial seconds of their rematch at UFC 199. In a show of cockiness, Rockhold started to pressurize 'The Count' while keeping his hands low. He paid heavily as he was dropped by a heavy left hand following a few more strikes that eventually ended in him being knocked out.
Rockhold later discussed his latest UFC bout, which ended in a foiled light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz. According to the former champion, he did not anticipate the strength and size that would come into play at 205 lbs. While he had planned on grappling with the Polish fighter, Rockhold found his arms fatigued after unsuccessful takedown attempts from a clinch. He further told 'DC':
"Jan ... I think I overshot my wad. I wasn't used to the weight class and then I went in hard and I just knew I could outgrapple him if I got him down and it would be over. Wasn't used to the size and strength and I just put too much pressure on myself to get there."
Rockhold's submission attempts were repeatedly thwarted by Blachowicz during their clash at UFC 239. While the AKA staple tried to keep up his kicking game, his clinch-work was largely marked with inaction. Blachowicz caught Rockhold with a heavy left hand while separating from a clinch in round two and secured a finish.
Watch the DC check-in with Rockhold below:
Luke Rockhold is ready to give Paulo Costa a five-pound allowance
Luke Rockhold changed his retirement stance in August 2020 and has been eyeing a return to the octagon since. The former champion was originally scheduled to return against former middleweight title contender Paulo Costa at UFC 277 in July. However, the fight has now reportedly been moved to August for which Rockhold blames 'Borrachinha'.
Apart from this delay, Costa's weight issues at 185 lbs have become a general cause of concern. The Brazilian proved to be a 'nightmare' for Dana White leading up to his last fight as he was unable make even the catchweight limit of 195 lbs. 'Borrachinha' fought Marvin Vettori at 205 lbs and suffered a decision loss. The former champion told ESPN's Brett Okamoto:
"I like Paulo, I like this fight, I like this weight. I want to fight him at ’85, yeah. I’ll give him a five-pound allowance. If he can’t make 190, f*ck off and let’s move on. There better be a backup fighter or something ready to go because that’s kind of what I told the UFC. I’m not here to play games. I want to go out there, and I want to prove that I’m ready to do this thing at f*cking middleweight. Not at catchweight, not at light heavyweight.”
Watch Luke Rockhold's interview with Okamoto below: