Luke Rockhold is on the come back trail.
After his brutal KO loss to Yoel Romero at UFC 221 in Perth, Former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold has announced that he weight cuts are getting too difficult- he will move up to Light heavyweight.
“I don’t see me coming back, man,” Rockhold said on the MMA Hour. “The weight cut is too much on me. As you get older, your bones get bigger. The last couple cuts have been pretty brutal on me. I had trouble regulating my body temperature and all that shit. It’s not fun. It’s not a fun cut anymore.
Rockhold’s former teammate Daniel Cormier is champion at Light heavyweight, but currently on an excursion to face Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a superfight for the Heavyweight belt. This move snubbed Light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson, who decided to call out Rockhold for a fight at Light heavyweight. Luke Rockhold said that match up would suit him nicely.
“I think it was petty coming after me so early (after the knockout loss). I don’t know if he was trying to get under DC’s skin, but I’ll be coming. I’ll be coming to 205. Im gonna handle my business and you better be sure I’m coming for that ass, too. I’m a different fighter at 205.”
The other potential match up for Luke is a rubber-match with former Middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Luke achieved an extremely dominant win over Bisping in 2014, then in 2016, Bisping accepted a short notice rematch, and shocked the world by KO’ing Rockhold inside 1 round. Some saw the victory as a fluke, others saw the win as a blueprint which has since accounted for Rockhold’s diminished success. The two have a hilarious chemistry, and a rematch is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Rockhold has also said he would retire if beaten by Micheal again. As an extra intrigue, Rockhold wants this fight to take place at 205 instead of 185, but Bisping would be at a severe disadvantage if he accepts these terms.
In any case, Rockhold is no longer fighting for a living, as he is now the face of a Polo fragrance. It’s truly amazing how far the sport has come in only a decade.
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