Luke Rockhold stepped into unfamiliar territory and paid the price, but the former UFC middleweight champion isn’t losing sleep over his wrestling loss to Colby Covington at RAF 5 on Saturday night.
Rockhold suffered a technical fall defeat, losing 12-0 to Covington, a former Division I All-American wrestler. From the opening exchange, Rockhold faced a steep uphill task against a specialist on the mat. Still, Covington praised Rockhold’s willingness to compete and acknowledged his strength and flexibility during a dominant performance that ended inside the first two periods. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Rockhold kept things light in his first public response to the loss.
“Compete, challenge myself, get in shape, learn a new sport and get paid with no risk,” Rockhold wrote on Instagram. “Lost a few points but had a good time. Happy to see wrestling make it to the big stage.”
The bout marked another chapter in Rockhold’s ever-expanding post-UFC journey, a career path that began after his exit from the promotion during Dana White’s reign as UFC president. Since then, Rockhold has tested himself across multiple combat sports, often with mixed results.
After retiring from MMA, Rockhold returned briefly for a bare-knuckle boxing bout against Mike Perry in BKFC, where he suffered a stoppage loss. He later found success in Karate Combat, scoring a knockout win over Joe Schilling in his lone appearance. Boxing, however, proved less forgiving, as Rockhold endured a brutal knockout loss to Darren Till in a Misfits event.
Following that defeat, Rockhold hinted that his competitive days might be numbered, admitting his body no longer absorbs punishment the way it once did. Wrestling, however, offered a lower-risk alternative, no strikes, no knockouts, just survival against elite grappling.
Rockhold did not confirm whether he plans to compete again under the Real American Freestyle banner, but history suggests he isn’t done experimenting just yet. From MMA to boxing, bare-knuckle fighting, karate, grappling, and now wrestling, Rockhold continues to explore combat sports long after leaving the UFC spotlight shaped by Dana White.
He even closed his post with a familiar tease that left fans guessing.
“Power Slap, see you soon,” Rockhold wrote.
Whether that line was a joke or a genuine hint, one thing is clear: Luke Rockhold remains unpredictable, and under the long shadow of the Dana White-era UFC, his post-fighting journey continues to take unexpected turns.
