Luke Rockhold Biography Introduction:
On September 10, 2011 at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout took place between then middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Luke Rockhold. Widely considered to be one of the greatest submission fighters of all-time, Souza took Rockhold, clearly the more diverse striker, down on multiple occasions. In the past for most challengers, that had spelled big time trouble.
But not for Rockhold, who got up easily most times, which led to him striking his way to a decision victory.
Most knew that Rockhold was a heckuva fighter before he defeated Souza. But afterwards, they realized he was someone to reckon with on the world stage. Here is his story.
Date of Birth:
Luke Rockhold was born on October 17, 1984 in Santa Cruz, California.
Fighting Organization and Training Camp:
Rockhold fights for the UFC. He trains out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.
Athletic and Martial Arts Background:
Luke’s father, Steve Rockhold, was a professional basketball player in Europe. His brother, Matt Rockhold, is a professional surfer. So he comes from a highly athletic family.
Luke began training in judo at age six, stopping at age 10. He wrestled all through high school, eventually becoming a California high school state qualifier in the sport. Though he tried wrestling at a community college, he decided the sport wasn’t for him, instead taking on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu full time.
He is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.
MMA Beginnings:
According to Rockhold’s UFC profile, he started training in MMA at age 22 because he liked to fight and needed a job. He also believed he could compete at a high level, having practiced in different disciplines for his whole life.
On July 24, 2007, Rockhold fought in his first ever professional MMA bout at an MotM event. He defeated Mike Martinez by first round armbar. After going 1-1 in his first two fights, Strikeforce came calling.
Strikeforce Career- Winning the Belt:
Rockhold went 9-0 for Strikeforce, winning their middleweight title in a bout with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza along the way.
UFC Comes Calling:
Rockhold’s UFC debut was highly anticipated. It happened on May 18, 2013 in Brazil at the UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked by out by Belfort in the first round by a highlight reel spinning hook kick.
That said, the fight still represented his debut in the greatest mixed martial arts organization on the planet.
Fighting Style:
Rockhold is a complete mixed martial artist. He’s a very good and diverse striker, who can hurt you with a variety of kicks as well as punches. He possesses better than average wrestling, including takedowns and takedown defense. He’s also a very strong submission fighter, and fights with heart and cardio.
In other words, he’s good at everything. You really have to be great at one thing (better than him at it) in order to defeat him.
Some of Luke Rockhold’s Greatest MMA Victories:
On September 10, 2011 at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout took place between then middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Luke Rockhold. Widely considered to be one of the greatest submission fighters of all-time, Souza took Rockhold, clearly the more diverse striker, down on multiple occasions. In the past for most challengers, that had spelled big time trouble.
But not for Rockhold, who got up easily most times, which led to him striking his way to a decision victory.
Most knew that Rockhold was a heckuva fighter before he defeated Souza. But afterwards, they realized he was someone to reckon with on the world stage. Here is his story.
Date of Birth:
Luke Rockhold was born on October 17, 1984 in Santa Cruz, California.
Fighting Organization and Training Camp:
Rockhold fights for the UFC. He trains out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.
Athletic and Martial Arts Background:
Luke’s father, Steve Rockhold, was a professional basketball player in Europe. His brother, Matt Rockhold, is a professional surfer. So he comes from a highly athletic family.
Luke began training in judo at age six, stopping at age 10. He wrestled all through high school, eventually becoming a California high school state qualifier in the sport. Though he tried wrestling at a community college, he decided the sport wasn’t for him, instead taking on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu full time.
He is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.
MMA Beginnings:
According to Rockhold’s UFC profile, he started training in MMA at age 22 because he liked to fight and needed a job. He also believed he could compete at a high level, having practiced in different disciplines for his whole life.
On July 24, 2007, Rockhold fought in his first ever professional MMA bout at an MotM event. He defeated Mike Martinez by first round armbar. After going 1-1 in his first two fights, Strikeforce came calling.
Strikeforce Career- Winning the Belt:
Rockhold went 9-0 for Strikeforce, winning their middleweight title in a bout with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza along the way.
UFC Comes Calling:
Rockhold’s UFC debut was highly anticipated. It happened on May 18, 2013 in Brazil at the UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked by out by Belfort in the first round by a highlight reel spinning hook kick.
That said, the fight still represented his debut in the greatest mixed martial arts organization on the planet.
Fighting Style:
Rockhold is a complete mixed martial artist. He’s a very good and diverse striker, who can hurt you with a variety of kicks as well as punches. He possesses better than average wrestling, including takedowns and takedown defense. He’s also a very strong submission fighter, and fights with heart and cardio.
In other words, he’s good at everything. You really have to be great at one thing (better than him at it) in order to defeat him.
Some of Luke Rockhold’s Greatest MMA Victories:
- Rockhold defeats Tim Kennedy by decision at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy- Huge win over an excellent competitor. It was also Rockhold’s final Strikeforce battle.
- Rockhold defeats Keith Jardine by first round TKO at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine- Jardine came into this fight with a UFC history and a win over Chuck Liddell. He left after being dominated by Rockhold in the striking department. It was Rockhold’s first ever title defense.
- Rockhold defeats Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza by decision at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov- Rockhold proved to be the better striker in this one. However, he also showed solid takedown defense and a willingness and ability to play on the ground with one of the great submission fighters the world has ever seen. And when you win the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, well, pretty easy one to include on the list.
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