Strickland Not Surprised Rockhold Bailed On UFC 268

Sean Strickland is laughing his ass off, or maybe he just likes to play fast and loose with his social media acronyms.

Either way, the No. 7-ranked middleweight contender doesn’t sound too broken up over the news that former 185-pound champion Luke Rockhold was forced to withdraw from their UFC 268 showdown next month in New York.

“He was never going to make it to the fight lmao… no one is surprised,” Strickland wrote on Instagram. “I sparred him once and almost put him out… didn’t even spar the second round, walked out of the gym lmao… I knew this wasn’t happening.”

Rockhold injured his back (more on that here) and does not have a definitive timetable for return, forcing the promotion to look for a short-notice replacement with less than a month to go. I vote for No. 8-ranked Darren Till, who desperately needs a win at 185 pounds.

Or maybe Strickland can just wait for Rockhold in the parking lot.

To see the current UFC 268 fight card and lineup click here.