As he edges closer to a return, Luke Rockhold hopes to shoot straight for the top.
Rockhold (16-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC), a former UFC middleweight champion, has been working on his comeback since he decided against retirement last August, but shoulder surgery still has the 36-year-old sidelined.
Rockhold is hoping to be ready in a few months’ time, but he’s not interested in fighting just anybody. He’s looking at the top-ranked middleweights and possibly light heavyweight, where he was knocked out by current champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in his last fight.
“They’ve (UFC) been reaching out, talking, just keeping tabs on my situation and letting me know that they’re interested,” Rockhold told Submission Radio. “As am I, when the time’s right, when something really kind of appeals to me, it’s sexy. I want to come back for something that gets me excited, and I want to come back when I’m ready, when my body’s ready. And I think early, late summer would be ideal. It’s just matching up with the right person and the right thing that’s going to put me to where I want. I’m not looking to just play around.
“I wanna go straight to the gut of this division and most likely 185. Not ruling out 205, but I really just gotta push my body to get in shape and see where it wants to go. Right now, I’m light. I’m like 205-208 (pounds) right now, and I think that legitimately it’s going to be looking like I’m going back to middleweight. But we will see. If something pops up, you never know. If a fight falls apart, like many injuries do and COVID and everything that happens, I could be ready sooner than later.”
Rockhold has been dealing with a lingering shoulder injury for a while and after undergoing surgery last year, he wants to ensure that he’s fully recovered before getting back into action.
“The last few years, I’ve had a problem with my labrum and my rotator cuff,” Rockhold said. “It’s just been deteriorating, and I relied on my right hook, and my right shoulder has taken some damage. So, it’s not as sharp, and it was hard to keep my hand up and work. And just when I’m punching, I’m looping. I don’t have the stability and the strength to stay up, stay strong here. So, I decided to get the surgery in the middle of COVID, and it’s been a problem coming back from the surgery.
“And I’ve had questions of whether or not I’ll have to do another surgery, and it’s just not 100 percent there. Like, the elasticity in the ligament, I can’t really rely on it. I couldn’t rely on it. I’m starting to be able to now, finally, after lots of different treatments and PRP’s and everything I’ve been doing. So, it’s coming along. Finally coming along.”
He continued, “If I’m gonna come back, I’m not gonna come back compromised. I’ve done too much to go in there and fight compromised. If I’m healthy, If I know I’m healthy and I’m clear-headed when ‘m going out there, I can beat anybody. So, that’s what I’m waiting for, and that’s what I’m getting to right now.”
Luke Rockhold ‘not looking to just play around’ upon UFC return, explains ideal scenario
