Dana White Confirms Luke Rockhold Will Get Next Middleweight Title Shot

Ever since surging AKA product Luke Rockhold destroyed former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida with a vicious second round submission at April 18’s UFC on FOX 15, talk has centered on Rockhold deserving the next shot at middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

That talk only intensified when Weidman got past longtime bitter rival Vitor Belfort in the co-main event of May 23’s UFC 187, but Dana White was noncommittal about just who would earn the awaited match-up, noting that Rockhold was the no. 1 contender but Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza would ‘probably’ get the next shot.

This evening, however, that doesn’t look to be the case, as White appeared on UFC Tonight to clarify that Weidman would indeed be fighting Rockhold next despite a date and venue not being known as of right now:

“Well, we don’t have that fight set up yet; we don’t know when it’s gonna be, but that will be the fight. Luke Rockhold will get the next shot at the title.”

So the preliminary booking is set for one of the most anticipated middleweight title fights in some time between the undefeated Weidman and technical submission artist Rockhold, who has forced his last three high-quality opponents to tap.

Who is your early pick to win this war that should end up as one of the most anticipated UFC bouts of 2015?

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports