Luke Rockhold is pretty much upbeat about his chances against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Chris Weidman and he believes that by the end of the fight, he will be the new reigning titleholder.
The two protagonists will star in the main card at UFC 194 which will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 12.
Rockhold strongly believes that he will be the latest American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) fighter to become UFC champion and perhaps the first one to hand Weidman his first UFC loss. Weidman is 13–0, with nine wins coming from knockout (KO), but Rockhold believes he has the tools to break Weidman.
Rockhold considers himself and Weidman in a certain class, a notch above the rest. But when it comes down to the two of them, he firmly believes that he will take the champ to school.
"I don't see what Weidman is going to bring to the table that I don't see every day on a higher level," Rockhold said via MMAjunkie.com.
He added, "Athletically, and speed, he's going to bring all that and more than Weidman can. I train with the best team, and I think that's going to be a huge difference. Weidman trains with good guys, but I train with elite guys. That's going to show come fight time."
Aside from his analysis, Rockhold seems to agree with the observation of an unlikely fighter as well — Michael Bisping.
Rockhold and Bisping have faced off before, with Rockhold winning that showdown via submission. But when it comes to Weidman, Bisping points out that the champ's last couple of fights have been circumstantial.
Weidman fought and won over Mark Muñoz, someone who has been out of the UFC scene. Meanwhile, his win over Anderson Silva was singled out as something that happened due to a crucial error. Weidman's last fight with Vitor Belfort was also mentioned, with Bisping citing the big difference in body size as a factor for the champ's win.
So will Rockhold be far different from those fighters? Well it seems he considers himself the best of the best and will prove that when they both face off at UFC 194 in December.
"I think it's been the perfect storm for Weidman. He's a tough guy, but I think it's been the perfect storm. Every storm comes to an end and I'm about to shine the light on a bright day," said Rockhold via Fox Sports.
Check out the promo for the Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold tiff below.
