Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has determined to take his profession in a brand new route, having secured his launch from the corporate. During an look on “The MMA Hour” on Monday, Rockhold, 38, revealed that he and UFC have mutually parted methods, bringing an finish to a partnership that started in 2013.
“I want a brand new setting,” Rockhold mentioned. “I want a brand new problem … You get burned out within the sport while you’ve executed a lot and also you want new obstacles.”
Rockhold didn’t specify what his subsequent step can be, however there are a number of potentialities in MMA, comparable to Bellator MMA, the place he has a preexisting relationship with president Scott Coker, PFL and One Championship. He additionally mentioned he would think about a transition into boxing.
Rockhold (16-6) gained UFC’s middleweight championship in 2015 by defeating Chris Weidman through TKO. He went on to lose the belt in his first scheduled title protection in opposition to Michael Bisping in 2016 after which struggled to remain wholesome amid a 1-3 skid from 2016 to 2022.
The Santa Cruz native had a number of public disputes with UFC, however in August, UFC president Dana White praised Rockhold’s ultimate bout in opposition to Costa, saying, “I’ll by no means say something [bad] about him, I completely respect him.” Rockhold later mentioned he appreciated White’s feedback.
Before his time in UFC, Rockhold had already established himself as one of many prime fighters on the planet, as he held a 185-pound title in Strikeforce from 2011 to 2012. He holds notable wins over the likes Weidman, Bisping, Lyoto Machida and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
