Luke Rockhold discusses his potential comeback fight against Yoel Romero.
Luke Rockhold will return to the Octagon in 2022 after a three-year hiatus from the sport, but the word is still out on who his opponent will be.
UFC middleweight Paulo Costa appears to be the most likely candidate for the job, but Rockhold won’t fight the Brazilian if he misses weight again.
Costa’s last fight was contested at light heavyweight after the 30-year-old failed to make weight against Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 41. ‘Borrachina’ lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Rockhold is no stranger to the light heavyweight division but the former UFC middleweight champion has no intention of returning to that weight class if ‘Borrachina’ can’t make 185 pounds.
“I’m not here to fight f***ing cheaters. So if a weight is met… unless too much wine is consumed, you never know. You know, weight has to be met. Weight has to be met,” Rockhold told Submission Radio in a recent interview.
“People are f***ing, too many weak ass people trying to take advantages upon the game,” he continued. “And I’ve lost… I have killed myself to make weight and do things right. And I can’t say the rest for the rest. So I ain’t gonna do that again. I ain’t gonna do that again and fight a guy that misses weight purposely to gain an advantage. F*** no.”
Rockhold hasn’t won a fight since 2017 but Michael Bisping believes a win over Costa would elevate him back into title contention.
Rockhold might not be ranked anymore but he was formerly considered one of the greatest middleweights in the world having held titles in both Strikeforce and the UFC.