Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Middleweights

9. Luke Rockhold

Beginning with his move up to the full-time Strikeforce roster in late 2011, Rockhold enjoyed an amazing nine-fight stretch over the next five years that saw him go 8-1. He first captured the Strikeforce middleweight crown in a shocking upset of Ronaldo Souza, then defended it against tough challengers in Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy. Rockhold went on to win the same title in the UFC, choking out Michael Bisping and Lyoto Machida before obliterating Chris Weidman with ground-and-pound to claim the belt. The lone loss during the aforementioned run was the result of a famous Vitor Belfort spinning heel kick knockout. Rockhold then lost his title in his rematch with Bisping in one of the great upsets in MMA history. While he was only 31, that turned out to largely be the end of his success.

Rockhold had many amazing and unique skills, like his lethal left kicks, among the best in the sport’s history, his unique judo-based grappling and an incredible top game that allowed him to blend ground-and-pound and submissions seamlessly. However, he was plagued by a relatively weak chin and spotty defense. Add to this a series of injuries, and he fought only four times after losing the crown, going 1-3 with a stoppage of David Branch and losses to top-flight competitors in Yoel Romero, Jan Blachowicz and Paulo Costa.

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