By Andrew Matheson
The Santa Cruz Sentinel
It was less than a year ago when Strikeforce middleweight champion and Santa Cruz native Luke Rockhold was being name-dropped as a possible future opponent by the management team of Anderson Silva.
The reigning UFC champion and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in mixed-martial arts, Silva’s camp was reportedly unhappy in July with the list of challengers available in the UFC’s middleweight division, and was seeking a fresh opponent.
But any discussion of a possible Rockhold-Silva bout was immediately squashed, as the two fighters were contractually obligated to separate promotions.
It could have been a mere sign of things to come.
Strikeforce folded earlier this month and, in the aftermath, Rockhold made the switch to UFC, where Silva and others are fair game.
“It’s a pretty cool position to be in,” said Rockhold, whose name has been bandied about this week as a possible opponent to Vitor Belfort, and yes, even Silva.
The San Jose-based Strikeforce announced in late December that its Jan. 12 show in Oklahoma City would be its last, sparking a migration of sorts among its top-tier fighters to UFC. Rockhold, who will go down as the promotion’s last middleweight champion, was among several fighters to make the transition in recent weeks to the larger, and much more popular, promotion.
“It’s been pretty crazy since Strikeforce ended,” Rockhold said.
When and, more importantly, against whom Rockhold will make his UFC debut remains a bit muddled, however. But a contractual obligation with separate promotions is no longer a reason for Rockhold to not fight the best in his weight class.
“I’m looking to put myself up there,” Rockhold said Friday. “I want to be the best in the world, and you’ve got to beat the best in order to be the best.”
After battling up the ranks and fighting back from injury, Rockhold is finally a part of the bright lights and big draws the UFC provides. The chance of fighting the absolute best in the world is no longer tied to a wing and a prayer — or even the short-lived speculation of a “crossover” bout, where some in MMA surmised the best from Strikeforce could take on the best from the UFC.
No, Rockhold (10-1) — if his streak of nine straight victories continues — will get a chance at the best.
“It’s a new environment, it’s new competition, and it’s the challenge of proving myself against the best in the world,” Rockhold said.
“It’s a whole different level.”
It’s one that brings him a step closer to fighting Silva, whose camp again appears to have an eye on the Santa Cruz native. Manager Jorge Guimaraes told Brazil’s SporTV this week that Silva would like to fight the former Strikeforce champ.
“It would be champion against champion,” he said. “It’s a good fight to promote.”
But, according to UFC president Dana White, Rockhold’s debut may come against Belfort, whose surprising victory last weekend against Michael Bisping provided one less title contender to Silva’s belt.
“We have a fight for Vitor,” White said. “I think it’s Rockhold. That’s what we’re talking about.”
Whoever it is, Rockhold said he’s ready to get back into the cage. The 28-year-old hasn’t fought since July, sidelined by a wrist injury that prevented him from fighting Lorenz Larkin on Jan. 12.
Healed and healthy, though, Rockhold went through his first “hard week” of training and sparring last week at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose — a week capped by a one-day surfing excursion to Ano Nuevo with his brother Matt on Friday.
“That’s cross-training,” Rockhold said.
Fighting Silva or Belfort, Rockhold said he would prepare similarly for either fighter. Both are great at striking, have solid jiu-jitsu and good takedown defense. They’re also both very dangerous on their feet.
“They don’t have many weaknesses,” said Rockhold, later adding that he feels confident in his own abilities.
And why not? Those abilities earned him the middleweight belt at Strikeforce and an invitation to join UFC, where he has a desire to earn the same belt.
But while all signs perhaps point to Rockhold making his UFC debut against Belfort, the former Strikeforce champ is clear on who he wants to fight for the UFC title.
“I don’t want to beat anyone for the title,” Rockhold said. “I want to beat Anderson Silva for the title.”
(c) 2013 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
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