Rockhold should change to a grappling heavy gameplan

[Toco]

I mean, standing isn't really working, is it? we know he got great kicks

but he has like the best grappling in the division by far (ok jacaré might have something to say about that), but other than him, he has superb ground skills. he just needs to focus taking people down, especially when his striking skills and his chin is failing him

he already know khabib so he could try to organize spending months in dagestan just grinding his ass off with the best wrestlers in the world. spend months there. go there to upgrade your wrestling, don't depend just of things like retarded spinning kick attempts, failed takedown attempts, slips and rocked fighters to use advantage of your grappling, initiate the takedown too

luke, you still have another way to capture a UFC belt, use it wisely

 

[Arm Barbarian]

Agreed.

Homie has almost Khabib-like top pressure and GnP.

Not sure he could take or keep Yoel down, but that was his best and safest path to victory.

Trading with Romero, with his tendency to drop his hands and a questionable chin, was pure Russian Roulette.

 

[truthisfreedom]

I mean, standing isn't really working, is it? we know he got great kicks

but he has like the best grappling in the division by far (ok jacaré might have something to say about that), but other than him, he has superb ground skills. he just needs to focus taking people down, especially when his striking skills and his chin is failing him

he already know khabib so he could try to organize spending months in dagestan just grinding his ass off with the best wrestlers in the world. spend months there. go there to upgrade your wrestling, don't depend just of things like retarded spinning kick attempts, failed takedown attempts, slips and rocked fighters to use advantage of your grappling, initiate the takedown too

luke, you still have another way to capture a UFC belt, use it wisely

Agreed. He's doing the same thing that this other fighter used to do about 6-7 years back. Forgot the dude's name but he was a Maia level Jiu Jitsu blackbelt, but insisted on standing and banging with guys, and lost a ton of fights because of it. I believe he was a LHW.

 

[Face Punch]

He needs to find a good boxing coach and spend as much time as he can with them.

Hands up, chin down: Fundamentals that seem to have never found their way into his skillset.

 

[fastone]

When two of the world's greatest grapplers (literally) engage in sloppy, lame kickboxing; somebody will make a mistake and then it's over.. What a shame. He paid for it against Bisping and just did it again.

 

[DetachedOrchid]

yeah i feel thats obvious. Wouldn't have worked on romero though.

 

[marvinparsons]

I mean, standing isn't really working, is it? we know he got great kicks

but he has like the best grappling in the division by far (ok jacaré might have something to say about that), but other than him, he has superb ground skills. he just needs to focus taking people down, especially when his striking skills and his chin is failing him

he already know khabib so he could try to organize spending months in dagestan just grinding his ass off with the best wrestlers in the world. spend months there. go there to upgrade your wrestling, don't depend just of things like retarded spinning kick attempts, failed takedown attempts, slips and rocked fighters to use advantage of your grappling, initiate the takedown too

luke, you still have another way to capture a UFC belt, use it wisely

In all your examples someone either shot in on Luke or he first hurt them standing. Luke isn't great at take downs and against someone like Yoel it simply isn't an option.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

That’s a good point. He is very slick on the ground, if anything keep his opponent guessing. Some fighters just want to have that highlight reel knockout and unfortunately for Luke it back fired.

 

[bambammccoy]

Reaching for the clinch can leave a chin on the platter.

And he doesn't have great TD shots.

He has gotten down nearly everyone he has fought.

He fights an Olympic medalist and now everyone is screaming why didn't you clinch up with him when Romero has great clinch TDs and clinch control.

 

[ramair455]

Rockhold won't fight again until 2020

 

[BoD 2.0]

Agreed. He's doing the same thing that this other fighter used to do about 6-7 years back. Forgot the dude's name but he was a Maia level Jiu Jitsu blackbelt, but insisted on standing and banging with guys, and lost a ton of fights because of it. I believe he was a LHW.

Who?

 

[fastone]

Reaching for the clinch can leave a chin on the platter.

And he doesn't have great TD shots.

He has gotten down nearly everyone he has fought.

He fights an Olympic medalist and now everyone is screaming why didn't you clinch up with him when Romero has great clinch TDs and clinch control.

Lol, Boxing with your shoulder and hands down can leave your chin on a platter too, apparently...

 

[magicmarker]

Agreed.

Homie has almost Khabib-like top pressure and GnP.

Not sure he could take or keep Yoel down, but that was his best and safest path to victory.

Trading with Romero, with his tendency to drop his hands and a questionable chin, was pure Russian Roulette.

I agree but he's pretty long, I think even if the takedown went badly, he could still do damage from the bottom with his grappling if he could keep the fight on the ground.

 

[Dart Feld]

Luke doesn't have a good single or double leg. He's more attuned to using his size and leverage in the clinch.

He gets on top from clinch trips, knockdown, or off of a sprawl. Yes, his top game is his best weapon but it just isn't an easy avenue against the elite. Against Yoel it wasn't a likely path for success unless he really drained Yoel's cardio first.

 

[Soul On Ice]

Doesn't have the rasslin to do it

If you look at all them gif you posted it's not Luke taking the fight to the ground

There is a kick that hurts his opponent and leads to a sub
There is someone trying to take him down
There is Weidman essentially giving him his back

 

[ufcfan4]

Agreed. He's doing the same thing that this other fighter used to do about 6-7 years back. Forgot the dude's name but he was a Maia level Jiu Jitsu blackbelt, but insisted on standing and banging with guys, and lost a ton of fights because of it. I believe he was a LHW.

I don't think this is who you mean because he wasn't Maia level but Thiago Silva was an awesome, devastating top game guy but he usually stood and banged.

The problem with guys like Thiago and Diego Sanchez is that their best skillset is hard for them to implement since they aren't great takedown artists.

But when Silva had someone on the ground, he would pass guard with slick skill and then basically bash the hell out of them till they were unconscious, tapping or the ref intervened.

 

[bambammccoy]

Lol, Boxing with your shoulder and hands down can leave your chin on a platter too, apparently...

Yeah not saying boxing is his best bet but I can see where his camp was coming from in the gameplan which was working for the most part.

Lots of distance and circling, jabs, occasional cross, quick front leg snap kicks to draw Yoels hand down and wind him when he didn't, heavy low leg kicks which Yoel shut down early in the 2nd or late in the 1st.

Rockhold seems, or maybe seemed(hopefully), too cocky to acknowledge his boxing weakness. Shame because he is skilled, talented, and a real physical specimen at 185.

 

[Money509]

He should really do some greco roman wrestling and practice clinch throws. If he can consistently start taking guys down he would dominate the division. Striking also gets easier when your opponent is trying to stop the takedown.

 

[MikalP]

Who?

Thinking Vinny Magalhaes

 

[ArtOfDrowning]

His entry on a TD is bad and slow.

With fast guys like Yoel, Whittaker and maybe even Kelvin he would eat something on the way in and get KTFO.

He is not a blast double leg guy and too slow for anything else. His grapplling is amazing but opportunistic