- Joined
- Sep 24, 2007
- Messages
- 51,217
- Reaction score
- 21,218
I really think Rockhold is the best fighter in the MW division. BUUUUUUUT Jesus Christ!!!! Nearly any fighter can go for broke standing and they really do have a shot. Not sure it's chin or if it's the fact he freezes like he just saw Adeline Byrd naked riding a Sybian machine in the middle of the cage when he gets hit
He literally cannot fight backing up. He's been around too long to think he's all of a sudden gonna realize that if you back up straight and keep your hands low you are gonna eat bombs.
He's an absolute beast grappler, and when he can dictate the fight he's a nightmare to deal with. But his striking fundamentals just suck. You are spot on when you say he freezes when fighters "go for broke" against him. But the crazy thing he does it BEFORE he even gets hit! Basically when there's any sort of forward aggression against him he panics and has no idea how to deal with it. When HE is the one moving forward, throwing body kicks, and hunting the TD, he's amazing. When he's forced to deal with aggression, he looks like a regional guy.