Luke Rockhold feels he won’t get the respect he deserves without a win over a UFC rostered fighter
Strikeforce middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold has been giving his thoughts on his position in the 185 pound ranks after virtually clearing out the California based promotions ranks over the past year, explaining he doesn’t feel like he’ll get the level of respect he deserves without a win over someone on the UFC roster.
Speaking via MMAJunkie.com, Rockhold said:
“There are challenges, tough guys ahead. There are a few, but the reality of the situation is I want to be the best in the world, and I can’t do that without fighting the guys in the UFC. It’s a battle. I think there are a lot of people who aren’t coming around to me. It’s a weird situation. It feels good to get recognized as one of the top fighters out there, but it seems until I beat a top-tier UFC fighter, I won’t get that respect.”
“The best fighter pound-for-pound in the world is taking notice – or his camp, whoever it is – but they obviously see something in me and they want to fight. I’d jump on that opportunity in a heartbeat. I’ve never shied down from any fight. Who knows what’s out there? Obviously that’s the fight I want. I hope we can work out the contract issues or whatever we need to do, but I want that fight.”
Rockhold has looked impressive since he returned to action from a long-standing injury and eighteen months away from the cage, defeating Souza for the title before putting together back-to-back defences against Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy. With the likes of Lorez Larkin and Roger Gracie making solid debuts this past weekend, should Souza jump back to the head of the line? Tell us what you think…
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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Photo by Esther Lin – STRIKEFORCE
