UFC on Fox 15 Notebook: One Giant Leap

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Luke Rockhold can see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, though his view is obstructed by a certain karateka.

Rockhold will take on Lyoto Machida in the UFC on Fox 15 main event this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where he hope to lay claim to the No. 1 contender’s seat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division. The 30-year-old American Kickboxing Academy rep will enter the cage on quite a tear, having dispatched three straight opponents inside two rounds.

“I don’t think anybody in the sport works harder than me and smarter than me,” Rockhold told the “Road to the Octagon” program. “When it’s focus time, there’s no one that dedicates more time and energy in the right direction than I do. I think 85 is the perfect division. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. That’s what pushes me and inspires me to better myself every day. I don’t want to be in a weak division.

“Once I have an opponent across from me trying to take what I’ve worked for my whole life -- all my dreams -- away from me,” he added, “it just motivates me.”

Whether or not Rockhold can properly channel such motivation against Machida remains to be seen. “The Dragon” creates trepidation all his own, possessing a style for which few opponents have successfully prepared. He has posted a 3-1 record since downshifting to 185 pounds, his only setback coming in a five-round decision to reigning champion Chris Weidman. Machida, who once held UFC gold at light heavyweight, last appeared at a UFC Fight Night event in December, when he cut down C.B. Dollaway with a body kick and follow-up punches in just 62 seconds.

“My main goal is to wake up that day knowing that I will be champion again, but I try not to think too far ahead,” he said. “I’m fighting Luke next, so he is my main focus. I’ve trained every day of my life since I was a child, so that’s why I’m always ready to fight -- against any person at any given time.”

Few can take issue with the Machida track record, which includes victories over six former UFC champions, from Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn and Tito Ortiz to Rashad Evans, Randy Couture and Mauricio Rua.

“Lyoto is a legend,” Rockhold said. “He’s one of the best of all-time, [and] he’s right there in his prime. I love it. I can’t wait to get in there with him and show him what I’ve got and show the world what I’ve got. There’s a recipe to beat everybody. I have the recipe to beat Lyoto. I have a lot of weapons that he’s never faced. I believe in myself. I’m going to go out there [and] I’m going to put a statement on him.”

Rockhold, a former Strikeforce champion, will hold a two-inch height and three-inch reach advantage against the Brazilian. Machida shrugs at the deficits.

“Everybody wants to watch this fight because it involves two elite fighters that were former champions,” he said. “He is taller than me and his reach is also longer, but I’m not worried about that at all. I know my body well. I know my opponent. I have much more experience and determination. I’m very relaxed, and I’ve never been so prepared for a fight. It’s going to be my victory. No matter how the fight plays out, the victory is mine.”

CORE BELIEFS

The secret to Max Holloway’s success can be found in unwavering self-belief. The gifted 23-year-old Hawaiian will take another significant step in his development when he collides with perennial featherweight contender Cub Swanson in a pivotal showdown at 145 pounds. Holloway has rattled off five consecutive victories, four of them finishes, as he has emerged as a person of interest in a deepening division. A winner in six of his past seven bouts, Jackson-Wink MMA’s Swanson will enter their matchup as a slight favorite. “I’m 100 percent sure I can beat Cub,” Holloway said. “That’s just the confidence I have, and that’s the confidence you need. I believe in myself. Wherever the fight takes place, I think I’m better. I might be biased, but it gets me by. I’m going to take your head off every second of the fight, and I’m going to do it with a smile.”

THIS & THAT

UFC on Fox 15 “Machida vs. Rockhold” will be the 315th event the Ultimate Fighting Championship has staged in its history ... Two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Ronaldo Souza has secured 12 of his 21 career victories via traditional submission: four by arm-triangle choke, three by rear-naked choke, two by armbar and one each by guillotine choke, triangle choke and kimura ... All five of Felice Herrig’s losses have resulted in a decision ... The five men who have beaten AMA Fight Club export Jim Miller -- Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar -- own a cumulative 95-30-2 record ... Patrick Cummins was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Penn State University ... Per FightMetric, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 winner Corey Anderson has out-landed his opposition 123-34 in total strikes and 69-30 in significant strikes through his first two UFC appearances ... When undefeated Serra-Longo Fight Team standout Aljamain Sterling was born on July 31, 1989, the top five movies at the domestic box office were “Batman,” “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” “The Karate Kid Part III,” “Ghostbusters II” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” ... Former two-division King of the Cage champion Tim Means sports four-, nine-, 30-, 66-, 67-, 77- and 98-second finishes on his resume ... Jim Hettes holds the rank of brown belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ... Chris Dempsey hails from Sewickley, Pa., a small 1.1-square-mile town of less than 4,000 people located in the southwest quadrant of the Keystone State.

INSIDE THE VENUE

The Prudential Center opened on Oct. 25, 2007 at a cost of $375 million and plays host to the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and the Seton Hall University men’s basketball team.