July 14, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Luke Rockhold (blue shorts) fights Tim Kennedy (white shorts) for the middleweight title at MMA Strikeforce at the Rose Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

The UFC is back in Georgia this week for UFC Fight Night 35. In the main event of the evening, two top ten Middleweights look to rebound off of respective losses. Former StrikeForce Middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, takes on perennial contender, Costa Philippou, in an integral Middleweight tilt.

Rockhold (10-2, 0-1 UFC) is coming off of an unsuccessful UFC debut in which he was KO’ed by Vitor Belfort in highlight reel fashion. The loss was Rockhold’s first in six years, and only his second career defeat. The UFC is granting him with another main event billing, and he hopes to impress come Wednesday night.

Philippou (12-3 (1), 5-2 UFC) was on a five fight winning streak before facing Francis Carmont back at UFC 165. Carmont dominated Philippou on the mat, but could not mount any offense from on top. What resulted was a dreadful affair that saw Carmont laying on top of a helpless Philippou who could not get to his feet. Costa will look to get back on the horse with a big win on Wednesday night.

Today, I compile and breakdown some GIFs of the two main eventers, previewing their battle this Wednesday.

Luke Rockhold

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Luke Rockhold is a very savvy striker that utilizes all 8 tools available to him inside the Octagon. In his StrikeForce Middleweight championship bout against Jacare Souza, Rockhold utilized a wide array of kicking techniques that kept Jacare off guard. In the GIF above, Rockhold feints a right leg kick, and then goes up high with a left head kick. Jacare blocked the head kick, but the point here is to show off Rockhold’s clever attack. Rockhold is able to keep his opponents guessing by using feints, changing levels, and counter striking as well as attacking. Costa is best when he is the aggressor and coming forward, so expect Rockhold to utilize his kicks to keep Costa on the defensive. Rockhold will look to mix it up on the feet, and keep Costa guessing.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Not only does Rockhold have excellent striking technique, but he has a bona fide killer instinct inside the cage. In 10 victories, Rockhold has 8 finishes. In the GIF above, Rockhold catches the attacking Keith Jardine with a perfect counter right hook that staggers him. Rockhold smells blood and comes forward with a 1-2 followed up by a hellacious combination that ends with a hard right that drops Jardine. Rockhold finishes the job with some ground and pound, forcing the referee to step in. Take note of the accuracy of Rockhold’s strikes as he lands over and over on Jardine.

While striking may be his biggest strength, Rockhold is also a black belt in BJJ. Rockhold’s first six victories came by way of submission. In the GIF above, Rockhold has the back of Jesse Taylor with two hooks in. As Rockhold sinks in the rear naked choke, he also locks in the body triangle, making it extremely difficult for Taylor to breathe or roll out and escape. Rockhold is dangerous anywhere in the fight, and can finish in a variety of ways.

Costa Philippou

Credit: Zombie Prophet

If you want to talk about dynamite in someone’s fists, look no further than Costa Philippou. Philippou is a former professional boxer, and he loves to showcase his fists inside the cage. Half of Costa’s victories in his MMA career have been by way of TKO/KO. In the GIF above, Costa allows the wounded Jared Hamman to get to his feet. Costa steps forward with a 1-2 and then blasts Hamman with another two brutal hooks to put him to sleep. Costa is at his best when he is moving forward and utilizing his crisp boxing.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Costa not only has power in his punches, but he is accurate as well. In the GIF above, watch Costa utilize his step in uppercut to drop Jorge Rivera. Philippou then unleashes a barrage of punches to Rivera’s face, but Rivera is able to recover. A couple important things to note in this GIF: 1. Philippou’s step in uppercut is likely his best strike. 2. While Philippou is a great boxer with one punch KO power, he lacks the killer instinct to put top notch fighters away after they are hurt. 3. Philippou is not a very good at defending takedowns, and it is easily his weakest attribute. The fact that Rivera was able to get Costa on his back after the ground and pound is a testament to that fact.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

While Costa gets a lot of flak for being a poor grappler, it is mostly his takedown defense that needs work. Philippou is actually a purple belt in BJJ, and has pulled off some high level grappling inside the UFC previously. In the GIF above, Philippou gets taken down on a trip takedown from Jorge Rivera. Costa quickly pulls rubber guard, and attacks with an omoplata. Costa then attacks Rivera’s leg, and completes a beautiful sweep. While this exchange shows off what Costa is capable of, he has been unable to do this against top tier grapplers. Francis Carmont completely dismantled Philippou on the mat, and Rockhold could possibly do the same.

Final thoughts: This fight is Rockhold’s to lose in my opinion. The only advantage that Philippou holds is his boxing, but in earnest, that may become a disadvantage. Costa tends to focus purely on his boxing, and rarely throws kicks. In doing so, Costa becomes dangerously one dimensional against an all around fighter like Rockhold. Costa’s focus on his boxing leaves him open to being countered because he does not mix it up enough. We saw earlier what Rockhold can do when counter striking his opponents.

Rockhold will look to pick apart Costa at distance utilizing punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. Costa will need to push forward, and likely eat a knee or two, in order to land any significant strikes. If he does land on Rockhold, however, he could put him to sleep. Pay particular attention to Costa’s step in uppercut, as that has been his go to during his UFC career.

I expect Rockhold to ultimately get the fight on the mat, and ground and pound Costa until he gives up his back and is choked out. I just do not see Costa improving enough in his takedown defense and striking combinations to beat Rockhold.