What Paths to Victory Does Rockhold Have Against Romero?

[DarkneT]

I really want Yoel to win this
And I think he can


But Luke is better in areas of MMA people
Don't give him credit for,

If he gets you down.. you are FUCKED
If you take him down.. maybe he's got a reversal in him?

People just assume because of the Bisping and Vitor fights he's glass jawed and waiting to be KO'd
I could see him taking Yoel down, it's been done before

 

[emax]

Honestly, just constant motion, moving in to strike when he can, circling at angles and not just coming in and out, making Romero move as much as possible for a couple rounds so he can't move as well in later rounds and so on. Yes, he's in the top 10 % at least of most dangerous MMA wrestlers we've seen in the sport but he's elderly as far as pro fighters go and that kind of muscle mass really does take an awful lot of oxygen to move with. Forcing Romero to be as active as possible for tow and a half or so consistent rounds could leave him largely ineffective in dealing with Rockhold's kickboxing skills. And as a general rule, if Rockhold ever gets on top of anyone they are in truly serious trouble so once Romero gets tired looking to gain that position is also useful.

 

[ostlerrage]

Stylistically this is just as hard of a fight for Luke as Whittaker, maybe even more so. Unlike Whittaker who has exceptional TDD but a relatively underutilized ground game, Romero is incredibly proficient on the ground and super hard to control. Even if Eockhold gets a body lock I don't see him getting Romero down or keeping him there.

Rockhold will also give up a speed advantage and has the lesser boxing between the two. If Romero connects clean he can KO Luke. So this begs the question, what paths to victory does Luke have to take to win this fight?

i actually think this is an easier fight for rockhold. romero is a great athlete but no a real elite striker with his hands. this is whats needed against rocky. if rockhold survives the first two rounds he wins the final 3.

 

[Superzorro]

Low chances, Chris made that knee famous now and Luke will avoid it not to mention you kinda need to dive on a single to get it cause Luke is a giant for the division 6'3 or even close to 6'4.

Luke’s advantages are widely on the ground. Even though most of his takedowns are from double underhooks, it’s still within the realm of possibility.

 

[One MMA Fan]

Luke’s advantages are widely on the ground. Even though most of his takedowns are from double underhooks, it’s still within the realm of possibility.

Unless Romero is compromised by some head-kick or is super gasses ain't no way he is keeping him down.

 

[moreorless87]

Pretty obvious cardio I would say(especially as Rockhold throws a lot of body kicks), plus perhaps Yoel doesn't always focus on his takedown defence? he's so good at getting back up that being taken down by someone like Weidman wasn't really a danger but Rockhold is far more dangerous ontop.

 

[Szwok]

destroy all stools pre fight. should be ez win

 

[AdamantiumPimmel]

He could play dead...

 

[Towerworld]

Stylistically this is just as hard of a fight for Luke as Whittaker, maybe even more so. Unlike Whittaker who has exceptional TDD but a relatively underutilized ground game, Romero is incredibly proficient on the ground and super hard to control. Even if Eockhold gets a body lock I don't see him getting Romero down or keeping him there.

Rockhold will also give up a speed advantage and has the lesser boxing between the two. If Romero connects clean he can KO Luke. So this begs the question, what paths to victory does Luke have to take to win this fight?

If rockhold can land body kicks and gas romero he will be very easy to takedown and finish with GnP but Romero has equally good chances of shattering lukes salt chin with a knee or any punch really.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

he has the gas tank path

 

[boingyman]

He's going to need to control the distance and pick Romero apart without getting caught. If Romero gasses then anything could happen.