Is Luke Rockhold officially retired from fighting?
The former UFC and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion is world renowned for his kicks and submission skills, none of which he was able to use in stoppage losses to Mike Perry (bare knuckle) and Darren Till.
Rockhold had his teeth dented by Perry in BKFC in 2023 and last weekend, the 40-year-old fighter suffered the seventh knockout loss of his career in the main event of Misfits Boxing 22, courtesy of Till, a former UFC title challenger.
Many have called for Rockhold to hang up the gloves following his latest result.
Rockhold recently answered his fans, alluding to retirement in his post-fight statement.
Luke Rockhold says it’s ‘around that time’ to retire
On Tuesday, Rockhold gave his tribute to combat sports.
“Ain’t nothing like the fight game,” Rockhold wrote on Instagram.
“Love it or hate it, there isn’t anything more real in this life. The journey and the people are always a blessing. You see what you see from the outside but the truth is always far from. I gotta thank my coaches, my teammates, my partners and everybody that rides with me.
“It’s time to work on my golf swing,” said Rockhold.
Rockhold talked about potentially retiring a day after on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“Yeah, like I said, I am 40 years old and I can’t be taking shots like that,” Rockhold said.
“I want a future for myself, and I got a lot of good things in the works.
“Pretty much, you know, it’s around about that time,” Rockhold said of retiring.
“I mean, there’s not much left to do. I’ve done a lot in this sport. I’ve won my championships, and I’ve done Karate Combat. I’ve done bare knuckle. I’ve done boxing. Jiu-jitsu at the toughest level. I can compete with the best of the best, but I think it’s time to put the competition shoes on hold for the time of times.
“I don’t know, we’ll see…”
The former UFC champion has a record of 16-6 in MMA. Rockhold has wins over the likes of Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping, Lyoto Machida, and Ronaldo Souza.
He is 2-8 in his last ten bouts across combat sports.
“There’s other forms of competition for sure,” Rockhold added, mentioning a marathon for example.
Luke Rockhold says he’d fight Dillon Danis in return
While he might be leaning towards retirement, Rockhold says there is one name that comes to mind for one more fight: Dillon Danis.
Danis won in his MMA return at Misfits 22 after six years away. Danis submitted Warren Spencer in 15 seconds.
Prior to the fight, Danis and Rockhold got into a fight with each other at a hotel and were quickly separated.
“I would come back and fight that kid,” Rockhold said of Danis in the same interview.