Luke Rockhold put his grappling skills to the test by entering the Craig Jones Invitational over 80kg tournament, which kicked off Friday in Las Vegas, and had a short night.

Rockhold, a winner of 16 MMA bouts via submission during his career, met decorated wrestler Pat Downey in his first match. Downey, a former N,CAA Division I All-American wrestler, has competed twice in Bellator (1-1) and defeated Gordon Ryan in a wrestling contest in 2020.

The match started and Rockhold immediately pulled guard. Downey eventually followed Rockhold to the ground and kept suffocating pressure from top position that left the MMA veteran no room for guillotine choke attempts. The domination continued in round two, with Downey working from top but not threatening with finishes.

Round three began and Rockhold needed a finish to advance to the quarterfinals, but appeared to be too tired to come close to a stoppage. Downey took advantage of his cardio and toyed with the former UFC star, taking him down twice and simply allowing him back up.