Luke Rockhold
Active 2013–present · rated in 3 editions · peak overall 88.0
Scouting report
Capturing both the Strikeforce and UFC Middleweight Championships, Luke Rockhold built his career around southpaw question-mark kicks and top control. Training out of AKA in San Jose, California, Rockhold claimed the UFC title with a fourth-round TKO of Chris Weidman, his arsenal highlighted by a 91 BJJ rating and 89 Kickboxing.
Peak ratings
By edition
Rockhold won five straight between 2014 and 2015, knocking out Costas Philippou with a body kick, submitting Tim Boetsch with an inverted triangle kimura, submitting Michael Bisping with a guillotine in Sydney, and choking out Lyoto Machida in Newark. At UFC 194 in Las Vegas, he battered Chris Weidman to capture the UFC Middleweight Championship. His question-mark kicks, top control, and grappling are reflected in an 82 Boxing and 89 Kickboxing.
Rockhold lost the title by first-round knockout to rival Michael Bisping at UFC 199 in Los Angeles, before returning in September 2017 in Pittsburgh to stop former WSOF two-division champion David Branch in round two. His kicks, top mount ground-and-pound, and submission threats anchor his 83 Boxing and 90 Kickboxing.
In February 2018 at UFC 221 in Perth, Rockhold challenged Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight belt, dropping a third-round knockout loss, before moving to light heavyweight in 2019, where he lost by second-round knockout to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in Las Vegas. His left kick and top-control grappling maintain his ratings of 82 Boxing and 88 Kickboxing.
Luke Rockhold, the complete middleweight who beat the champion
Luke Rockhold came up at American Kickboxing Academy and won the Strikeforce middleweight title before he moved to the top promotion. In 2015 he beat Chris Weidman by fourth-round TKO to take the belt. He was also the man who lost it to Michael Bisping via a first-round head kick knockout in 2016. He fights with long limbs and calm sequencing. In a draft he is one of the most balanced picks at 185 pounds.
Rockhold, attribute by attribute
Boxing. Clean, straight and accurate. He does not throw many combinations, but they land well.
Kickboxing. One of his edges. His kicks come from odd angles, and he uses them to set up punches and to score clean knockouts.
Wrestling. Better than expected for a striker-grappler. He can take the fight down or stand back up when he wants.
BJJ. The top of his card. He can pass, take the back and submit high-level opposition.
Strength. Above average for the weight. He uses his length and leverage more than pure power.
Durability. The soft part. The Bisping knockout showed that a single clean strike can undo him, and the number drops in the later editions.
Cardio. Strong. He keeps his shape through five rounds and does not fade.
Fight IQ. High. He reads openings quickly and often wins by moving straight to the right technique.
Jiu-jitsu gives him a way out of any fight
With a BJJ rating above ninety on the peak card, he can make a striking exchange irrelevant the moment he lands a takedown. That matters more in a full-card game than a single number sounds like, because it means he is never stuck with one plan. He can adapt as the round changes.
The chin is the one crack: Durability
Durability is the lowest of his numbers, and it is the one that history backs up. A patient counterpuncher who can land clean once may be enough. If you draft him, back him with a teammate who can protect against being hit.
Keep exploring
Closest middleweight profiles to Luke Rockhold, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Brendan Allenbest bjj 91 · weakest kickboxing 80
- Gegard Mousasibest boxing 89 · weakest wrestling 80
- Lyoto Machidabest kickboxing 90 · weakest strength 78
- Jack Hermanssonbest cardio 88 · weakest kickboxing 77
- Middleweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Luke Rockhold's strongest attribute, BJJ.
Draft Luke Rockhold into your build
Luke Rockhold enters the pool on any spin landing on middleweight between 2014 and 2019. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Luke Rockhold is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Luke Rockhold's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.