The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion shared his thoughts on Saturday’s ugly fight and what his plans are for the future.
Luke Rockhold’s bare-knuckle boxing debut at BKFC 41 did not go according to plan. After a solid first round, Rockhold stopped the fight halfway through the second round after his front teeth got punched in by Mike Perry (watch the highlights here).
We didn’t hear anything from the former UFC middleweight champion after the bout, and questions abounded as to whether he’d continue fighting after this latest setback. He left the UFC on a three fight losing skid, and now he’s 0-1 in bare-knuckle boxing. But in a new Instagram video posted to his social media account, Rockhold vowed to soldier on … maybe not in BKFC, though.
“Well f—, what can I say?” Rockhold said, showing off the damage to his mouth. “You can check bare-knuckle off the list. Some crazy s—. Those little knuckles got me … square on the front two. Maybe a beard. Maybe a better mouthpiece. It was a good fight. It’s a shame it had to end that way. Motherf—er Mike, you tough bastard. Congrats.
“Thanks to my sponsors, thanks to the people. I’m not done. Some gloves would be nice, though.”
Rockhold still has a lot of options in combat sports. He has a great relationship with Bellator president Scott Coker, having been the Strikeforce middleweight champion during the last days of the promotion when Coker ran the show. And he’s expressed interest in other forms of martial arts like kickboxing and Muay Thai, so perhaps a go in ONE Championship is in his future. Japan is also on a checklist for the 38 year old veteran.
Will he try his hand at bare-knuckle again? His statement certainly sounds like he’s re-evaluating his interest in fighting without gloves. Luke Rockhold makes a lot of money outside of fighting with his looks. He’s had very successful stints as a male model and had a very visible deal representing the Polo brand. Getting his teeth literally knocked in at BKFC may have made the decision to switch back to less brutal forms of fighting a bit easier for him.
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