Luke Rockhold News

Paulo Costa, Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold believes Paulo Costa "could easily" beat Israel Adesanya

Tom Taylor - August 12, 2020

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold believes Paulo Costa has a real shot at unseating the division’s reigning champion, Israel Adesanya. Costa is scheduled to challenge Adesanya for the UFC middleweight crown in the main event of UFC 253 on September 19.

Luke-Rockhold
UFC

Luke Rockhold names other potential opponents for comeback fight

Tom Taylor - August 12, 2020

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is plotting a comeback after a lengthy break, and sees many options in terms of his next opponent. Earlier this week, in an interview with ESPN, Rockhold revealed that he intends to fight again, and targeted his former foe Chris Weidman as a potential opponent.

Luke Rockhold, Jan Blachowicz
UFC

Luke Rockhold announces that he's not retiring

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2020

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will not be retiring from mixed martial arts, despite widespread speculation to the contrary. Rockhold has not fought since July, 2019, when he was knocked out by Jan Blachowicz in his first fight in the UFC light heavyweight division. Since that loss, he made no secret of the fact that his future in the sport was up in the air.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC rankings
Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold only sees one way Khabib Nurmagomedov can be beaten

Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020

Luke Rockhold is a long-time friend and training partner of undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Having felt Nurmagomedov’s world class skills first-hand, Rockhold believes the lightweight champ is a nightmare matchup for just about anybody — at lightweight or welterweight. Rockhold praised the skills of the champ on a recent episode of Submission Radio.

Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping

Luke Rockhold responds to Michael Bisping's invitation to squash beef

Tom Taylor - April 29, 2020

Luke Rockhold seems to have accepted Michael Bisping’s invitation to squash their beef and share a beer one day. At one point, Bisping and Rockhold were two of the most bitter rivals in MMA. The pair went 1-1 across two bouts, with Rockhold winning the first by submission and Bisping winning the second — a short-notice title opportunity — by knockout. In the lead-up to and fallout of these bouts, the pair exchanged tons of trash talk and clearly got under each other’s skin.

Luke Rockhold
UFC

Luke Rockhold fended off "homeless" attacker with "a vicious front kick"

Tom Taylor - April 29, 2020

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is taking a hiatus from his MMA career, but it sounds like he’s been putting his skills to use outside the cage. Speaking on a recent episode of Submission Radio, Rockhold shared a harrowing story involving a “zombie-like” woman he suspects was on crystal meth. Rockhold claims the woman accosted him while he was walking a dog and tried to spit on him — a practice that is frowned upon in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic.

Jimi Manuwa
Luke Rockhold

Jimi Manuwa calls out Luke Rockhold for his comeback fight

Cole Shelton - April 23, 2020

Jimi Manuwa is interested in making his return to the Octagon against Luke Rockhold. Manuwa has not fought since UFC Stockholm last June where he suffered a vicious head kick knockout loss to Aleksandar Rakic. It was his fourth straight loss including three by knockout. But, he has since hinted at a return and even told BJPENN.com he is looking to return and compete again inside the Octagon.

Luke Rockhold
UFC

Luke Rockhold admits he "might be getting an itch" to fight, sees "a lot of interesting choices"

Tom Taylor - April 22, 2020

After a series of tough losses in the Octagon, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took a step back from fighting — be he didn’t officially retire. As it turns out, that distinction was deliberate.

Luke Rockhold
UFC

Luke Rockhold names one opponent he regrets not fighting in the UFC

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold still hasn’t decided if he’ll fight again, but for the moment, it’s not a priority. “I’m taking a leave of absence,” Rockhold said on the Major Waves Podcast (via MMA Junkie). “I’m just kind of doing my thing right now — getting life organized, getting things together. It’s good to be back on the West Coast. I was training out in Florida and it’s just – Florida’s tough. It’s hot, it’s humid – it’s a different lifestyle.”

Michael Bisping, Jon Jones
Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping opens up on injury before first Luke Rockhold fight

Tom Taylor - January 24, 2020

Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold, both former UFC middleweight champions, went 2-0 across two entertaining grudge matches. In the first fight, Rockhold came out on top via submission. In the second, Bisping won via first-round knockout, winning the middleweight belt in the process. During an appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast to promote his new book Quitters Never Win: My Life in UFC, Bisping divulged that he was actually injured before his first fight with Rockhold.

Luke Rockhold
UFC

Luke Rockhold loses grappling match at Polaris 12

Adam D Martin - December 1, 2019

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold lost a decision to Nick Rodriguez in a no-gi catchweight grappling match at Polaris 12. The bout took place Saturday at International Convention Centre Wales in Newport, Wales, and was streamed live on Fight Pass. Rockhold and Rodriguez grappled at a 230lbs catchweight in what was Rockhold’s first taste of competition since he was knocked out by Jan Blachowicz in the Octagon at UFC 239 earlier this summer.

Luke Rockhold
Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping encourages Luke Rockhold to retire

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2019

Former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has been knocked out in several of his most recent fights, and Michael Bisping — the man behind one of those knockouts — believes the American would be wise to hang up the gloves. https://youtu.be/PHwXfjwrGG8

Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold not interested in fighting Chris Weidman again

Cole Shelton - November 20, 2019

Luke Rockhold doesn’t know if he will ever step foot inside the Octagon again. But, if he does, it definitely won’t be for a second fight with Chris Weidman. The two fought at UFC 194 where Rockhold TKO’d Weidman in the fourth round to become the middleweight champion. It was a phenomenal fight, and many wanted to see them run it back. The pair were slated to rematch at UFC 199, but Weidman got hurt and Michael Bisping filled in and ended up knocking Rockhold out cold. With that, a rematch between Rockhold and Weidman no longer made sense.

Luke Rockhold
UFC

Luke Rockhold is 'happy not fighting'

Tom Taylor - November 20, 2019

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold isn’t officially retiring, but after a string of tough losses, including a knockout at the hands of Jan Blachowicz in his last fight, he says he’s happy to be focusing on other things. “My head is content where I’m at right now,” Rockhold told MMA Fighting. “I’ve done a lot of things in the sport. I’m not trying to be a headline maker. I’m not trying to say I’m going to retire and then want to come back. I don’t like to close doors on things in life.

Luke Rockhold
UFC

Report: Luke Rockhold could be done with fighting career

Mike Pendleton - October 17, 2019

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold’s fighting career could be coming to an end. Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported on Thursday night that during a conversation with the former champion, Rockhold is considering calling it a career. “I have no interest in fighting right now,” Rockhold told ESPN, and Helwani noted that he also said it is “very” possible he never returns to fighting.

Dana White, UFC, UFC Fight Island 3
Luke Rockhold

VIDEO | Dana White roasts former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold

Christopher Taylor - October 17, 2019

UFC President Dana White has taken a shot at former middleweight title holder Luke Rockhold, suggesting that ‘Rocky’ has no game. In an interview with ORIGNALS, the brash UFC boss claimed that Rockhold acts like a “buffoon” when he’s around women.

Anthony Smith
Chris Weidman

Anthony Smith rips Luke Rockhold and gives advice to Chris Weidman

Cole Shelton - August 21, 2019

Anthony Smith and Luke Rockhold have had a heated rivalry for quite some time. Ever since “Lionheart” moved up from the middleweight division and began having success at light heavyweight, the former middleweight champion Rockhold has been critical of him. Yet when Rockhold made his own debut at 205-pounds, he was knocked out in the second round by Jan Blachowicz. For Anthony Smith, this was good to see as it forced Rockhold eat his words. But, even after Rockhold’s failed light heavyweight debut, Smith isn’t done trash-talking his rival.

Chris Weidman
Luke Rockhold

Chris Weidman found latest Luke Rockhold KO 'bittersweet'

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2019

Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold — both former UFC middleweight champs who have sought greener pastures at light heavyweight — have a lot of history. The pair first fought in 2015, with Rockhold handing Weidman his first loss, and have been scheduled to rematch several times since then.