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PERTH, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 11: Luke Rockhold prepares to enter the Octagon before facing Yoel Romero of Cuba in their interim middleweight title bout during the UFC 221 event at Perth Arena on February 11, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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PERTH, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 11: Luke Rockhold prepares to enter the Octagon before facing Yoel Romero of Cuba in their interim middleweight title bout during the UFC 221 event at Perth Arena on February 11, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is currently on a two-fight skid and hasn’t entered the octagon since 2019. He will end his hiatus against the #7 ranked fighter Sean Strickland at UFC 268 on the Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 2 undercard.
Ahead of the event, Rockhold gave his predictions for the welterweight title rematch. In an interview with Helen Yee at the RVCA gym, Rockhold said, “Kamaru takes him. Kamaru’s grown so much as a fighter, and I don’t think Colby has.”
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He added, “Colby is going to rely on his cardio. It wasn’t enough last time, it’s not going to be enough this time. Kamaru, I think is gonna make it look a lot easier.”
The former middleweight champion believes this rematch will have the same outcome as the old one. However, it will still excite the combat fans to see what fresh changes the welterweight rivals will bring inside the octagon.
That said, as Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 1 was an absolute treat for the fans, they might expect the same in the rematch at UFC 268.
Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 1: A brief look back
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ clashed against Colby Covington to defend his welterweight gold at UFC 245. This intriguing match-up took place on December 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was a gruesome five-round scrap.
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There was a lot of trash talk and verbal warfare leading up to the fight. And when the welterweights clashed inside the cage, it was a bloodbath. Both men exchanged heavy jabs throughout the rounds. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ showed absolute dominance in the fight, and his bodywork was a key highlight.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 14: (R-L) Kamaru Usman of Nigeria butts heads with Colby Covington in their UFC welterweight championship bout during the UFC 245 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
However, ‘The Chaos’ answered the champion with his skills and was charging forward during the bout. Both the fighters had their moments. However, it was the champion who secured a knockout in the fifth round of the bout and defended his title.
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The combat fans will wait for the same action in the rematch. Are you excited about the welterweight rematch? Let us know in the comments.
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