Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold headlines UFC Fight Night on FOX in April
The main event for the next UFC Fight Night on FOX card in New Jersey is set as Luke Rockhold will meet Lyoto Machida in the five-round middleweight showdown on April 18.
The fight was announced Thursday by Rockhold via his Instagram account, and UFC officials also confirmed the bout with FOX Sports on Thursday.
The two middleweights have been rumored for a fight since late December when Machida blasted through C.B. Dollaway in the first round of their matchup in Brazil. Rockhold was already on his radar after a second-round submission victory over Michael Bisping in Australia.
Machida has been a terror to the middleweight division since dropping down from 205 pounds more than a year ago. He tore through Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi before giving middleweight champion Chris Weidman his toughest matchup since taking the belt from Anderson Silva.
After the win over Dollaway, Machida put himself right back into title contention, and with a win in April it will be hard to deny him another shot at the gold.
Rockhold would love nothing more than to derail his hopes as he tries to earn his first shot at the UFC middleweight title after joining the promotion more than two years ago. Rockhold suffered a setback in his UFC debut, losing by knockout to current top-ranked contender Vitor Belfort, but since that time he's been virtually untouchable.
Rockhold dismantled Tim Boetsch and Costas Philippou before dealing with Bisping late last year. Now the former Strikeforce middleweight champion will look to solidify his standing as the No. 1 contender in the division with a win over Machida in April.
The UFC Fight Night on FOX card will take place on Saturday, April 18, from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
