Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold

[Wastelander]

As a karateka, I'm pretty much automatically a fan of any MMA fighter with a karate background, and Machida is no exception. Tomorrow night, he fights Luke Rockhold--a fighter with a somewhat karate-esque fighting style, despite having no karate background that I'm aware of. Jack Slack wrote an article for VICE on the upcoming bout:

http://fightland.vice.com/blog/rockhold-and-machida-pressure-versus-patience

What do you all think? Can Machida's bait-and-counter stop Rockhold's aggression? Can Rockhold stifle Machida's movement with his forward pressure? Who are you rooting for?

[ShoriKid]

Jack wrote it, I read it. It's been that way for a while now. I don't know if we will see a blitz from Rockhold, or a fighter who normally applies pressure laying back and not leading because of Machida's counter fighting ability. Machida has lead in a few fights lately, but it is against his normal style and not something I think he enjoys.

Rockhold has a strong wrestling background, unless I'm thinking of the wrong fighter, and that could prove problematic for Machida. That though, depends on Rockhold closing the distance enough to make effective shots or to force a clench. The counter side is Machida's Judo training, something not seen in a lot of MMA fighters, which opens a whole different group of take downs that most fighters do not see coming. I'll be watching tonight after I've gotten everyone off bed.

What amazes me is the level of ignorance about karate based techniques present in MMA. So much so that something as simple as a traditional front/snap kick to the body or thigh seems to totally confuse most fighters. Anyone getting out of the boxing/Thai boxing striking mold causes all sorts of problems and garners a lot of attention.