Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is making the jump up to 205 pounds this summer. Rockhold will be competing at the upcoming UFC 239 pay-per-view (PPV) event on July 6. He faces off against Jan Blachowicz on the stacked card. Rockhold has been teasing fights with several top light heavyweights for months now.
Potential fights against the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Smith, and Jon Jones have all been hinted at. However, before he takes on the truly elite of the weight class, he’ll have to step in against a proven contender in Blachowicz first. Speaking to Submission Radio recently, Rockhold discussed his potential within the new weight class.
The Californian doubled down on past comments claiming that he has what it takes to be the first man to legitimately defeat Jon Jones in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition. In regards to the problems Rockhold thinks he can give Jones inside the cage, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product says he doesn’t think anybody in the game can hang with him on the ground:
“Why don’t you ask DC what kind of problems I pose for him. I can strike with him, I’m no slouch in the wrestling game, and top of it, with the size I have now It’s different.
“And I’m gonna give a lot more power, I’m gonna bring it on the feet, and I don’t believe there’s a man in this game that can f*ck with me on the ground. When you start implementing punches and grappling, there’s no one. I don’t believe there’s anybody who can dance with me in that realm.”
In the future, there will be plenty of media gatherings in which both Rockhold and Jones will have to be in the same venue to promote UFC 239. When asked if he believes a confrontation between himself and Jones is possible, here’s what he had to say:
“Anytime you meet someone at the top, you guys are gonna get after each other. Me and Jon never had a problem, but we’ve never been in the same division. So, we’ll see. I’m gonna focus on Jan Błachowicz.”
What do you think about Rockhold saying nobody can give him trouble on the ground, including Jones?
