Rockhold has ‘no interest in fighting right now’
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Luke Rockhold isn’t closing the door on MMA entirely, but he has no immediate plans to fight again.
Luke Rockhold could be nearing the end of his MMA career.
The former UFC middleweight champion told ESPN Thursday that while he is not officially retiring, he has no immediate plans to return to the Octagon. Rockhold said it is “very” possible he may never fight again.
“I have no interest in fighting right now,” Rockhold said.
Rockhold, who won the UFC title in 2015, is coming off a brutal, second-round knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in July. It was his debut in the light heavyweight division. Rockhold suffered a broken jaw in that fight, he told ESPN. It marked his second straight defeat.
Rockhold, who has notably also worked as a model throughout his UFC career, will be keeping busy in this new era of his life. He said he’ll be filming a movie in Saskatchewan, Canada next month, has plans to start an education company, as well as compete in grappling matches.
The former Strikeforce champion reached the pinnacle of his career at UFC 194 in December 2015 when he finished Chris Weidman in the fourth round to win the 185-pound strap. He lost it to Michael Bisping by a stunning first-round knockout the following year.
After that, Rockhold rebounded with a submission of David Branch, but was viciously knocked out by Yoel Romero in early 2018 in an interim title bout. That was his last fight before losing to Blachowicz this past summer.
Some of Rockhold’s biggest wins — aside from the Weidman title victory — include a submission of Bisping (in their first fight), a decision over Ronaldo Souza, and a submission of ex-champ Lyoto Machida.