Luke Rockhold has shocked MMA fans as he has just revealed that he is open to a move to the world of boxing now that he’s officially retired from professional MMA. He was most recently seen taking on Paulo Costa at UFC 278 where the pair won ‘fight of the night’ honours as they engaged in a gruelling back-and-forth war. In the end it was Costa who got the nod from the judges and won the decision, with Rockhold quickly confirming that he was going to step away from professional MMA entirely and would no longer be fighting in the UFC.
While Rockhold has been known as a very well-rounded fighter throughout his MMA career, he originally excelled in grappling and this still shows today when he steps in the training room. Regardless of his history as a wrestler and a very successful competitive coloured belt in BJJ, Rockhold eventually developed his striking to a similar level. Rockhold’s wide range of skills were on full display throughout his UFC career, one that eventually led to him becoming the UFC Middleweight world champion at one point. The most famous rivalry in Rockhold’s career came against Michael Bisping, with the pair splitting wins across both their fights. In the end though, that rivalry has been put to bed and the pair now even train together on occasion.
Now that he’s retired from MMA there’s always a chance that Luke Rockhold might take grappling matches in the future, but according to a recent interview he’s actually interested in changing pace and moving into the world of boxing:
“I love physical stress, no doubt. I will definitely look to chase adversity and discomfort. I’m not opposed to boxing; my legs need a f*cking break. So, if there’s some interesting people with the right people in the right promotion, I’d love to test myself. New ventures are always great.”
The interview with Luke Rockhold where he reveals that he is open to a move to the boxing world after his retirement from MMA was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of MMAJunkie:
