Report: Luke Rockhold could be done with fighting career

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.

The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion has not been heard from since suffering a second-round knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in July. After winning the UFC middleweight title from Chris Weidman at UFC 194, Rockhold would go on to lose three of his next four fights, including when he lost the title to Michael Bisping at UFC 199 in 2016.

After the loss to Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut, Rockhold told ESPN he had to have his jaw wired shut for five days after suffering a broken jaw in the loss. Following the loss at UFC 239, UFC President Dana White told the media that he would suggest retirement for Rockhold when they had a conversation.

While he did have rivalries throughout his career, two of Rockhold’s former opponents, Chris Weidman and Michael Bisping were sympathetic to their former rival following his second consecutive loss. As his fighting future was up in the air, Rockhold still found himself recently being called out by light heavyweight contenders Anthony Smith and Alexander Gustfasson, who wanted to return from retirement and face the former middleweight champion.

Outside of fighting, Rockhold has seen success in his modeling career, and the ESPN report also stated that he would be getting a role in an upcoming movie as well.

If time is up on his career, Luke Rockhold will end his professional career with a 16-5 record and a champion in both the UFC and Strikeforce.

If he does indeed retire, how will you remember Luke Rockhold’s fighting career?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/17/2019

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