Machida battles Rockhold in UFC on FOX 15 headliner
Lyoto Machida will face ex-Strikeforce middleweight titlist Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC on FOX 15. Photo from Machida's Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines – A marquee match-up at 185 pounds has been booked by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida meets ex-Strikeforce middleweight titlist Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC on FOX 15.
Rockhold publicly confirmed the fight booking on Instagram following an initial report by MMAFighting.com on Friday, January 9 (PH Time).
The scheduled 5-round contest is set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on April 18 (April 19 in PH).
Machida (22-5) has won 3 of his 4 Octagon appearances since dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight in 2013, thumping the likes of Mark Muñoz, Gegard Mousasi and CB Dollaway.
The 36-year-old Japanese-Brazilian fighter challenged middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman in July 2014 at UFC 175, where he yielded to the American champion via unanimous decision.
However, “The Dragon” managed to bounce back from the disappointing defeat to Weidman with a 62-second demolition of Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 last December.
On the other hand, Rockhold (13-2) has won 3-straight bouts after suffering a first-round knockout loss to Vitor Belfort in his promotional debut under the UFC banner.
Fighting out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, Rockhold was last seen in action this past November when he submitted Michael Bisping with a second-round guillotine choke.
The showdown between two former titleholders will have a major impact on the 185-pound weight class as Machida occupies the No.3 spot in the UFC middleweight rankings, while Rockhold has the No.5 seat.
Giving away a contender status to the winner of this match is hazy as UFC president Dana White revealed that one-time middleweight champion Anderson Silva will likely earn a title shot if he could pull off the victory against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 on January 31 (February 1 in PH). – Rappler.com
