3 flaws Luke Rockhold needs to fix for a successful return to fighting

Luke Rockhold, a fighter suspiciously lacking in any official nickname, is looking to return to the octagon. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu maestro has not fought since his UFC 239 loss to Jan Blachowicz in July 2019.

Exceptionally skilled and athletic, the skateboarder sadly garnered a questionable reputation in the fighting world. Despite the many accolades and wins to his name, Rockhold became notorious for being injury prone. It was an issue that often threw his career into disarray.

Having taken two years off to pursue modeling in New York, Rockhold’s body has presumably knitted itself back together by now. For his purported second run in the octagon to go well, there are several tweaks Rockhold needs to make in and outside the ring. Here are three of them:

#3. Rockhold's over-reliance on the lean-back right hook

If one were to ask Barney Ross, this type of punch is one of the deadliest in all of boxing. Clearly Luke Rockhold strongly agrees with the WWII hero and former world champ. Rockhold believes so strongly in the power of this one particular counterstrike that he’s prepared to hinge his whole fight on it.

This was never more alarmingly evident than in his UFC 221 clash with Yoel Romero. Despite landing a series of increasingly brutal jabs on Romero, Rockhold decided to change it up and go for his patented right hook.

Leaning back far too much, Rockhold exposed his chin for a fight-ending left hand from the ‘Soldier of God’.

To avoid another catastrophe like this, Rockhold needs to be more flexible in his approach to striking. Additionally, defensive caution must be exercised far more this time around or it’ll be lights out for the face of Polo Blue once again.

#2. Rockhold's conditioning

Arguably the biggest issue with Luke Rockhold throughout his MMA career has been his injury-prone woes. As a member of the notoriously injury-heavy American Kickboxing Academy, Rockhold racked up multiple, physical setbacks during his career. Everything from a severely lacerated leg to lingering shoulder issues left him on the bench.

Now 36, if Rockhold wants any chance of going for the gold again, he needs to retool his training. The AKA was famously buried by UFC president Dana White for their excessive and dangerous training methods. For Rockhold, perhaps less can be more in the training department. An increased level of attention to general mobility and flexibility could also assist his body in staying intact.

Of course, by Rockhold’s own admission, there’s another glaring issue that led to him being seemingly made out of glass…

#1. Rockhold's approach to weight cutting

Luke Rockhold fought the majority of his career at middleweight. During his time as a 185lbs fighter, Rockhold won gold in both Strikeforce and the UFC. Sadly for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, making it down to the middleweight cut-off point was always a tall order.

As if the UFC 221 Romero clash wasn’t devastating enough already, it provides another key example of Rockhold’s struggles. Outside of the octagon, his weight typically exceeds the 200lbs mark, making the reduction to middleweight especially grueling.

During the UFC 221 weigh-ins, an alarmingly dehydrated Rockhold was interviewed. There is an argument to be made that - similar to calls for KO’d fighters to not be interviewed post-fight - weight cut fighters should not have to give mic time. An exhausted, borderline delirious Rockhold gave a strange interview that showcased the struggles his body and mind were going through.

Admitting to extreme weight cuts making him “brittle,” Rockhold briefly moved up to light heavyweight. While he did look healthier, he still fell in defeat to Jan Blachowicz.

Given his recent comments on fighters such as Khamzat Chimaev, it appears Rockhold will likely stick to the middleweight division. To remain healthy, he will have to re-tool his crash dieting methods and begin doing steadier, longer-term weight cuts. If not, it will be more of the same misfortunes that plagued him throughout his previous MMA run.