Luke Rockhold: I can finish Lyoto Machida

By Elias Cepeda
Published

Middleweight contender and budding reality TV star Luke Rockhold is confident heading into his April 18 UFC main event against Lyoto Machida in New Jersey. The American Kickboxing Academy product doesn't just think he can finish the former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger, Rockhold also believes that he can become just the third man to finish him (Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Jon Jones are currently the only to, to have).

"I think I can finish Machida, and I think I can perform, and I look to be solid," Rockhold recently told The Fight Corner.

"Given [that] Machida is very quick, he's elusive, he poses a lot of threats. I mean, I'm not going to say it'll be a walk in the park. I know I can go out there and make it relatively easy if I go out there and fight the way I know I can. Like I said, it is Machida. I've just got to pursue him with caution and do what I plan on doing."

In terms of what, exactly, Rockhold has planned for Machida, he didn't reveal specifics but promised that they would be plenty exciting for the fans to watch. "I've got a lot of cool stuff, a lot of fun stuff," he promised.

"I'm always going to look to be exciting and I think I can bring up a different avenue of threats that he hasn't really experienced yet. I'm going to go out there and try to perform. What can I say? Things don't always go as planned, but if things go the way my head thinks they're going to go, I'm going to go out there and dominate."

If Rockhold does indeed manage to impress and beat Machida, he believes he'll be ready for a shot at the 185 pound title. Furthermore, he doesn't see how the UFC could deny him the chance, if he convincingly defeats "The Dragon."

"I believe if I go out there and perform and do my job, I don't believe there's anything really left on the table," he concluded.

"I'm going to take it as it comes, but Lyoto's obviously proved himself as a champion and did well for himself in his title fight versus Weidman. I go out there and perform, potentially finish him, I don't see how they can deny me."