Luke Rockhold News

Michael Bisping opens up on his recent run-in with Luke Rockhold
Chris Taylor - March 26, 2021
Michael Bisping has opened up on his recent run-in with former middleweight rival Luke Rockhold, this after the two crossed paths at the RVCA gym. Bisping and Rockhold fought twice in the UFC and for many years their rivalry was arguably the most heated in all of mixed martial arts.

Luke Rockhold says he has that "fire" back ahead of UFC comeback
Adam D Martin - March 22, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold says he has that “fire” back ahead of his comeback to the Octagon later this year. Rockhold hasn’t fought since UFC 239 in July 2019, when he suffered a brutal KO loss to Jan Blachowicz. The former Strikeforce and UFC champ has taken the last two years off to heal his mind and body after years of fighting at the elite level, and he plans on making his comeback to the Octagon sometime later this year. At age 36, Rockhold is hoping that after taking two years off, his injuries have been healed up and he’ll be ready to do damage again inside the Octagon. He’s been training at RVCA Gym in preparation for his return.

Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to be MMA coach of the year, says Luke Rockhold: "He wants to be the next great thing"
Adam Martin - March 21, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to be the MMA coach of the year, says his longtime teammate Luke Rockhold. Nurmagomedov announced his official retirement from the UFC this week, finishing his MMA career with a perfect 29-0 record. While a return down the road can’t be ruled out, at least for the time being we have seen the last of “The Eagle” inside the Octagon. But just because he doesn’t plan on competing anymore doesn’t mean he won’t stick around the game. Instead of fighting, Nurmagomedov plans on putting his focus on coaching instead.

Luke Rockhold blasts "annoying, stupid" Paulo Costa for hangover excuse: "Shut up and stop making excuses"
Cole Shelton - March 2, 2021
Luke Rockhold is not a fan of Paulo Costa. After Costa suffered his first career loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 for the middleweight title he immediately said something happened. However, just recently, he explained that “something” was the fact he was dealing with a hangover. He said he drank a bottle of wine the night before the fight in order to fall asleep.

Luke Rockhold targets summer return for "sexy" fight with Darren Till or Marvin Vettori
Tom Taylor - March 2, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is hoping to return to action in the summer—ideally for a “sexy” fight with Darren Till or Marvin Vettori. Rockhold has not fought since July, 2019, when he was knocked out by Jan Blachowicz in his first fight in the light heavyweight division.

Jan Blachowicz says fan told him he won $50,000 for knocking out Luke Rockhold at UFC 239
Adam Martin - February 16, 2021
UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz said a fan told him that he won $50,000 when he knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 239. Blachowicz finds himself in a familiar position next month at UFC 259 when he defends his belt against Israel Adesanya. Despite being the champion, Blachowicz is once again the underdog in this fight. The oddsmakers opened him as a +210 betting underdog in this fight, and it’s up to +220 now. It’s a role the Pole has found himself used to over the course of his UFC career, but especially as of late, being named underdog in four straight bookings now. Even though Blachowicz is the 205lbs champion, he still has his doubters.

Luke Rockhold calls for return fight against Darren Till in the O2 Arena, but would love to shut up Chris Weidman
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2020
Luke Rockhold is interested in fighting Darren Till in England at the O2 Arena. The former middleweight champ recently announced he would be making a comeback and sent a message to the division. Now, he is calling his shots as he wants to return against Till as he believes it is a fun fight and a winnable fight for him.

Anthony Smith still wants Luke Rockhold fight: "I'd love to beat up someone I don't like"
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2020
Anthony Smith is still interested in a fight with Luke Rockhold. Ahead of Rockhold moving up to the light heavyweight division, he trashed Anthony Smith. He claimed he would be able to have success at 205 if someone like Smith did. “Lionheart” did not like those words and since then the two have trashed one another leading many to think a fight would happen.

Luke Rockhold recounts first encounter with Daniel Cormier: "We beat the f**kin' crap out of each other"
Tom Taylor - August 13, 2020
Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier are long-time friends and training partners at American Kickboxing Academy in California. From the sounds of it, however, Rockhold wasn’t totally sure what to make of the future two-division UFC champion when they first met many years ago.

Chris Weidman dismisses talk of a Luke Rockhold rematch: “He needs to put in work”
Natasha Hooper - August 13, 2020
Luke Rockhold is ready for a rematch against Chris Weidman, but the feeling isn’t mutual. Weidman, the former UFC middleweight champion, got back to winning ways at UFC Vegas 6 on August 8. He defeated Omari Akhmedov by unanimous decision, redeeming his two consecutive losses and recent record of 1-5.

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 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 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 responds to callout from Jimi Manuwa
Tom Taylor - April 29, 2020
Luke Rockhold doesn’t seem particularly enthused about a potential fight with British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa. Rockhold has not fought since a 2019 knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz, but recently divulged that he’s getting the “itch” to fight again.

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 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.

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.

Michael Bisping: "I’d happily share a beer with Rockhold"
Tom Taylor - April 16, 2020
At one point, Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold were two of the most bitter rivals in MMA. From the sounds of it, the animosity between them has diminished. 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.