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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Following Saturday night's UFC on FX 8 event, there's been some chatter from conspiracy theorists regarding the night's main event between Luke Rockhold and Vitor Belfort. The theory regarding that fight suggests that it was a work, and it stems from a split second moment just prior to Belfort's spinning heel kick that ultimately led to the finish.
With the video slowed down, it appears Rockhold slightly nodded his head right before Belfort spun with his kick. That small head nod has been taken by some as Rockhold giving Belfort a signal, suggesting that it was a planned finish.
On its face it's a ridiculous suggestion in an MMA fight, and given the viciousness of that kick the notion seems patently absurd. But nevertheless, enough people commented on the matter to bring out a response from Rockhold, who insisted he'd never even consider something like that.
Hearing some talk about my fight with Belfort being a fix. No amount of money would make me even consider taking a fall. I got caught I lost
Penick's Analysis: Have fights been fixed in MMA history? Perhaps. There are plenty of stories of fairly shady practices with Pride in that regard, and even if there weren't outright fixes (which there may have been), there were certainly plenty of stories of opponents being set up to fail. But in the UFC? In 2013? It's a ridiculous conversation, and really didn't even need a response from Rockhold. He got cracked by one of the craziest strikes in UFC history, and it happened out of nowhere. That wasn't pre-planned, and Rockhold wasn't giving any signals. He got beat, plain and simple.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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