Retiring from the UFC has been a weirdly controversial issue for too many fighters. Most fighters don’t get to retire on their own terms, some go with a loss, some get laid off and some get injured to the point where they can’t even fight anymore.
Luke Rockhold had a rather strange retirement where he lost the fight but went many hearts. But it seems like his retirement might be short-lived.
As a fighter, Luke was always a standout. He trained in the AKA gym alongside legends like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Cain Velasquez, and, Daniel Cormier. A common characteristic among these names is their humility and down-to-earth manner of conduct.
But Luke took quite a different approach as he based his whole personality on being brash and confrontational.
As the saying goes, if you want to talk the talk then make sure you walk the walk. Rockhold was a solid fighter leading up to his title shot as he lost only 1 fight during this period. But after winning the title against Chris Weidman, something really changed. Luke seemed very eager to talk down his opponents but couldn’t maintain similar composure during fights.
Bouts against famous fighters like Michael Bisping, Yoel Romero, and Jan Blachowicz all ended in him getting defeated via KO/TKO. Fans were already not very welcoming of his form of Trash talking and continuous losses only made things worse. After 2019, the AKA prospect went on a long hiatus and returned after three years against Paulo Costa.
The match against Borrachina was really special for the former champion. Luke was old and his body refused to cooperate with him during the fight. This left him vulnerable to vicious punches from a power-hitter like Costa.
In the end, he lost the fight but the respect he lost from fans returned.
Luke Rockhold is coming out of retirement after his UFC release.
Full story: https://t.co/GytYDkK9yp pic.twitter.com/Q7EJVBxoxq
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 24, 2023
Now less than a year after his retirement, Rockhold is already teasing a return. But this time he will probably be fighting outside UFC. He can potentially fight for the PFL or Rizin. A celebrity match against Jake Paul is also not out of the picture. Grappling events are also a possibility and maybe he can even fight for his teammate Khabib’s promotion, to Eagle FC.
Who do you think the 38-year-old should fight next?
