Being a fly on the wall throughout Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier’s first sparring match would’ve been an intriguing enterprise.
Earlier than he earned the UFC middleweight title, Luke Rockhold was one of many star pupils at American Kickboxing Academy in California. As he ready to maneuver up the middleweight ladder, a UFC Corridor of Famer joined his crew, and he welcomed him with a horrific sparring session.
Rockhold and Daniel Cormier are two of the best fighters to ever grace the cage. They’re additionally longtime buddies and teammates with Cormier in Rockhold’s nook for a number of the greatest fights of his profession, together with his middleweight title win over Chris Weidman.
Rockhold was one of many first individuals Cormier met when he first joined AKA at a comparatively unknown level in his fight sports activities profession. Whereas the 2 shortly constructed a powerful bond out and in of the gymnasium, their first exchanges have been centered on throwing palms and making one another higher via brutal classes.
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Luke Rockhold gave Daniel Cormier a brutal welcome to AKA
Throughout a latest interview with Submission Radio, Rockhold shared what occurred when Cormier entered the American Kickboxing Academy for the primary time.
“The second DC walked into the gymnasium, I known as him out for a sparring match, and we went toe-to-toe and tried to take one another’s heads off,” Rockhold stated. “I like testing new expertise, and there’s all the time the hardest guys on this planet, AKA was superior. And clearly everybody we had was nice.”
Rockhold and Cormier have been two of the highest strikers within the UFC on the time of their bodily primes. Cormier’s knockout of Stipe Miocic to develop into a two-division champion at UFC 226 is among the wildest finishes in heavyweight historical past.
Rockhold knocked out Weidman at UFC 194 to seize the UFC middleweight championship. He additionally completed the likes of Lyoto Machida, Costas Philippou, and Michael Bisping throughout his profession.
Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier helped flip one another into world champions
Rockhold hasn’t fought within the UFC Octagon since a loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278. He returned to combating in his bare-knuckle debut against Mike Perry in April 2023, shedding by second-round TKO.
Rockhold appeared at Karate Fight 45 final April, profitable a third-round TKO combat over elite kickboxer Joe Schilling. He just lately joined World Struggle League for the promotion’s inaugural season.
Cormier retired from the UFC in 2020 after a trilogy loss to Miocic at UFC 252. He entered the UFC Corridor of Fame in 2022 alongside their longtime teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Rockhold and Cormier molded one another into family names within the UFC after their first sparring session. Their success exhibits the worth of crew chemistry in a sport that’s individually centered.
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