Undefeated Chris Weidman will look to defend his middleweight championship for a fourth time at UFC 194 against the red-hot Luke Rockhold.
Weidman made quick work of Vitor Belfort in his last defence, but is facing a completely different adversary in Rockhold, who was the former Strikeforce middleweight champion. Though it’s not getting as much attention as the main event between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, this fight has all the makings to be an all-time classic as the two forces meet in the prime of their careers.
Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of how the UFC 194 co-headliners stack up.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Chris Weidman
Age: 31
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185 pounds
Reach: 78 inches
Background: Wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing
Fighting out of: Baldwin, New York
Nickname: The All-American
MMA record: 13-0
Notable Accomplishments: UFC middleweight champion, finished Anderson Silva twice, two-time NCAA Division 1 All-American
Luke Rockhold
Age: 31
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 185 pounds
Reach: 77 inches
Background: Kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Fighting out of: San Jose, California
Nickname: N/A
MMA record: 16-2
Notable Accomplishments: Former Strikeforce middleweight champion
STRIKING
This is an aspect where Weidman and Rockhold are in stark contrast. The champion is an orthodox-stance boxer with one-punch knockout power in his left. He doesn’t throw many jabs but has looping overhands that have longer reach and power than what they appear. A looping left is what Weidman put away Silva with and did the same to Uriah Hall in a pre-UFC fight. Weidman gets tagged in his fights but has shown a great chin and ability to roll with the punches. He can mix it up and apply constant pressure using feints to throw his opponent’s timing off.
Rockhold doesn’t have the same boxing power that Weidman possesses but his kicks can end fights like he showed against Costas Philippou. Rockhold likes to attack the body with sidekicks or push kicks, the latter he used very effectively against the smaller Tim Kennedy in his last Strikeforce title defence in 2012. Rockhold doesn’t target the legs as much, but it’s something Weidman is susceptible to as Silva showed in their fights. Attacking Weidman’s legs can help slow down his wrestling offence unless he checks the kick.
Weidman will constantly pressure and come forward on Rockhold and his constant takedown threat and feinting may limit the effectiveness of Rockhold’s kicks.
WRESTLING
Weidman is a two-time NCAA Division 1 All-American and has taken down every one of his UFC opponents (56 per cent takedown accuracy) while never surrendering any take downs. This includes taking down the anti-wrestler, Lyoto Machida five times, Silva and former NCAA Division I wrestling champion Mark Munoz. Weidman has an explosive double-leg shot even if he doesn’t always set it up thanks to his athleticism and impeccable timing. When Weidman can get the mount, which he transitions to quickly, his ground-and-pound is vicious and ends fights. If he can find a way to get Rockhold to the ground and keep him there, the challenger may be in a world of hurt.
Rockhold doesn’t do much in terms of wrestling offensively and has rarely ever shot for a takedown. However, uses his wrestling defensively to keep the fight standing (72 per cent takedown defence). He trains at the American Kickboxing Academy, constantly fending off the likes of UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Rockhold has been taken down by the likes of Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza but he quickly got back on his feet and still won rounds in which he surrendered takedowns. It will be a tall task for Rockhold to stay on his feet since he has not fought a fighter with the same wrestling talent or credentials as Chris Weidman.
GRAPPLING and SUBMISSIONS
Both men are topnotch Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners with credentials to match. Weidman is a BJJ black belt under former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and Brazilian legend Renzo Gracie. He assertively cuts through his opponent’s guard and is most effective from top position where he compliments his ground-and-pound by attacking the arms or neck. He also isn’t against attempting submissions at the expense of position even against a BJJ black belts like Silva. Weidman hasn’t found himself in a position where he has to fight off his back thanks to his perfect defensive wrestling so that portion of his BJJ is still untested in UFC competition.
Rockhold has trained in BJJ longer than Weidman. He won gold medals as a purple belt and blue belt in the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. He is able to sink in submissions when he gets a hold of his opponent and is very creative with transitions and guard passes. He became the first fighter to submit Michael Bisping and manhandled BJJ black belt Machida on the ground in his last fight. Against veteran Tim Boetsch he showed just how deadly he is once he ensnares his opponent in between his long legs as he has a variety of options to take their back or attack their limbs. Bucking off a 6-foot-3 behemoth like Rockhold isn’t something Weidman will want to deal with.
CARDIO
Weidman has shown some inconsistencies with his endurance. In his fight with Machida it appeared like Weidman faded down the stretch as “The Dragon” became stronger and took the fight to him. Still, Weidman showed the heart of a champion by fending off Machida and winning a decision. His only other issue with his cardio was in a very late injury replacement bout against Demian Maia nearly four years ago. Rockhold’s cardio has never been an issue as displayed in his two five-round fights against Kennedy and Jacare in Strikeforce. His training at AKA and his constant grinding against elite-level wrestlers have solidified Rockhold’s endurance.
SIZE AND ATHLETICISM
Only one-inch separates the two fighters’ heights but visually Rockhold looks much longer and lankier. Reach-wise, Weidman has a one-inch edge although Rockhold’s longer legs could give him a real weapon to use to keep the fight at his range. Physically, Rockhold is more toned and Weidman has shown to be on the softer side.
FIGHTER MENTALITY
Weidman and Rockhold both have the alpha male mentality and killer instinct. It’s always an interesting scenario when two fighters who have long believed themselves to be the top dogs in their weight class go head-to-head in their prime. Both have seen their fair share of five-round bouts and have fought the highest-level fighters possible. Weidman has a more casual demeanour but his confidence is unshakeable, while Rockhold appears more intense and serious and upfront about his quest to be the champion.
BETTING ODDS
As with the breakdown, the betting odds on both fighters are very close. Weidman is a slight favourite going as high as -175 to as low as -140 and the comeback on Rockhold is between +110 to +138. Interestingly, odds for the fight to hit the scorecards is at +130. Weidman has been the favourite in his last two fights and the last time Rockhold was an underdog was against Belfort, a fight he lost by first-round knockout. Before that, he was a sizable 4-to-1 underdog against Jacare, the last time he was a title challenger. He won by decision.
