Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold says it might be time for him to retire and walk away from fighting.
Rockhold recently suffered a brutal KO loss to Darren Till at Misfits Boxing 22 and admitted it may be time to hang up the gloves. Following the defeat, he posted on social media that he might shift focus to his golf swing as he prepares for retirement. In a sit-down with Ariel Helwani, Rockhold revealed stepping away from the cage could soon be a reality. He admitted he wasn’t fully prepared for his bout with Till, as limited sparring affected his performance and may have contributed to the devastating loss.
“I am 40 years old, and I can’t be taking shots like that,” Rockhold said. “I want a future for myself, and I’ve got a lot of good things in the works, so it’s pretty much, it’s around about that time. There’s not much left to do. I’ve done a lot in this sport. I’ve won my championships. I’ve done Karate Combat, I’ve done bare-knuckle, I’ve done boxing, jiu-jitsu at the toughest level. I can compete with the best of the best, but I think it’s time to put the competition shoes on hold.”
Rockhold admitted the knockout loss was one of the toughest of his career.
“It’s not a pretty one, for sure,” Rockhold said. “I haven’t taken shots like that. That’s one of the worst I’ve had, for sure. This is boxing, you’re loading up and you’re sitting down on big shots. There’s no other avenue to change the trajectory of the fight. I was even thinking about kicking for a second in the second round. It’s tough.
“I did feel good, but there are certain things I could have prepared better. I could have taken a warm-up fight. You walk in and fight a guy that’s seasoned and has had a few boxing matches. Like I said, I’m 40 years old and there’s no time to waste. I was trying to get to those ‘big fights’ with guys posing as fighters.”
In a recent social media post, Rockhold confirmed he would be stepping away from potential matchups to preserve his long-term health.
“Ain’t nothing like the fight game. Love it or hate it, there isn’t anything more real in this life. The journey and the people are always a blessing,” Rockhold posted. “You see what you see from the outside, but the truth is always far from it. I gotta thank my coaches, my teammates, my partners, and everybody that rides with me. It’s time to work on my golf swing.”
Rockhold remains uncertain about his future but believes he has done enough in fighting and now wants to spend the rest of his years pursuing new challenges.
“Like I said, I’m still going to chase myself,” Rockhold said. “I’m still going to challenge myself. There are all kinds of different things, and training will always be part of martial arts, it will always be part of my life. It’s a way of life. Competition doesn’t always have to mean fighting. There are all these different forms. I love to challenge myself in so many ways. I like to surf, I like to skate, I still like to train in jiu-jitsu.”
Rockhold captured the UFC middleweight championship by finishing then-champion Chris Weidman at UFC 194. Before joining the UFC, Rockhold became one of Strikeforce’s biggest stars, defeating top contenders like Tim Kennedy and Jacare Souza.
