Luke Rockhold signs with Karate Combat, debut set vs. Joe Schilling on April 20
Luke Rockhold’s post-UFC journey continues with a foray into the Karate Combat pit.
Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Rockhold has signed a contract with Karate Combat and will make his debut at Karate Combat 45 on April 20 in Dubai against former GLORY and Bellator veteran Joe Schilling.
Both athletes announced the booking on Wednesday. No weight class was revealed for the contest.
Rockhold, 39, parted ways with the UFC following a loss in his final promotional appearance in August 2022. He then signed with BKFC and suffered a second-round TKO loss to Mike Perry in April 2023. He was also scheduled for a grappling match with Craig Jones this past fall, but it was canceled. Now he joins Karate Combat, where he can put his always-dangerous striking to full use.
He will take on Schilling, 40, who hasn’t seen combat sports action since October 2019 when he suffered a knockout loss to Tony Johnson under the Bellator banner. Schilling has been scheduled in a pair of combat sports bouts since then, but none of them have come to fruition.
Luke Rockhold signs with Karate Combat, debut set vs. Joe Schilling on April 20