Luke Rockhold did more than slay “The Dragon.” He destroyed him.
Rockhold staked his claim as the No. 1 contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division with a virtuoso performance, as he submitted Lyoto Machida with a second-round rear-naked choke in the UFC on Fox 15 “Rockhold vs. Machida” headliner on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Machida (22-6, 14-6 UFC) feebly tapped out 2:31 into round two, having been brutally beaten by a superior opponent.
The 30-year-old Rockhold drove the off-balance Brazilian to the mat with a glancing right hand in the first round, bailed on a topside guillotine and then uncorked vicious ground-and-pound. Machida soon found himself in a hopeless state, with Rockhold on his back exacting heavy damage from which he would not recover. A concussive elbow in the closing seconds of the frame sent Machida back to his corner barely able to stand under his own power. He had nothing left to offer at the start of round two. There, Rockhold again bullied him to the canvas, softened him with strikes and then moved to his back to lock in the choke for the submission.
Rockhold (14-2, 4-1 UFC) has finished his last four opponents.
‘Jacare’ Armbar Finishes Camozzi
Two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Ronaldo Souza submitted Chris Camozzi with a first-round armbar in the middleweight co-main event. Souza (22-3, 5-0 UFC) closed it out 2:33 into round one.
A short-notice replacement for the injured Yoel Romero, Camozzi (20-10, 6-7 UFC) never stood a chance. “Jacare” backed up “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 graduate with punches, snatched a double-leg takedown and drew Camozzi into an impossible situation on the ground. Souza calmly freed his arms, slid to side control with help from the cage and took the armbar for the verbal tapout.
“Jacare” has notched eight consecutive victories.
