Luke Rockhold says UFC middleweight division is ‘f-cked’, vows to return ‘in style’

Rockhold sounds off on the middleweight division and promises to ‘make some noise’ in his UFC return.

It’s been over one year since former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold last set foot in the Octagon.

Since losing his title last June to heavy underdog Michael Bisping, the top middleweight contenders have been shafted due to the UFC’s questionable matchmaking policy.

Bisping’s first title defense was against the unranked Dan Henderson, a fight he won via unanimous decision in his former home of Manchester, England at UFC 204. Then, the UFC announced that ‘The Count’ would be defending his 185-pound belt against former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, who came out of quasi-retirement earlier this year.

That fight, though, has reportedly been canceled due to injury complications, and Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker are expected to square off for the interim title in Bisping’s absence.

Rockhold, 32, was hoping to fight the top-ranked Gegard Mousasi in his return but ‘The Dreamcatcher’ is currently embroiled in contract negotiations with the UFC.

The American Kickboxing Academy product is not happy with the politics in the middleweight division and refuses to return to fight ‘some chump on a worthless card.’

“I’m not coming back after all this time and fighting some chump on a worthless card,” Rockhold told MMAFighting.com in a recent interview. “I’m coming back in style and making some noise.”

“The division is f-cked,” he said. “No interesting fights.”

Although middleweight has its problems, Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker, which takes place next week at UFC 213, is one of the year’s most highly anticipated bouts. The pay-per-view is scheduled for July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rockhold sounds off on the middleweight division and promises to ‘make some noise’ in his UFC return.

It’s been over one year since former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold last set foot in the Octagon.

Since losing his title last June to heavy underdog Michael Bisping, the top middleweight contenders have been shafted due to the UFC’s questionable matchmaking policy.

Bisping’s first title defense was against the unranked Dan Henderson, a fight he won via unanimous decision in his former home of Manchester, England at UFC 204. Then, the UFC announced that ‘The Count’ would be defending his 185-pound belt against former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, who came out of quasi-retirement earlier this year.

That fight, though, has reportedly been canceled due to injury complications, and Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker are expected to square off for the interim title in Bisping’s absence.

Rockhold, 32, was hoping to fight the top-ranked Gegard Mousasi in his return but ‘The Dreamcatcher’ is currently embroiled in contract negotiations with the UFC.

The American Kickboxing Academy product is not happy with the politics in the middleweight division and refuses to return to fight ‘some chump on a worthless card.’

“I’m not coming back after all this time and fighting some chump on a worthless card,” Rockhold told MMAFighting.com in a recent interview. “I’m coming back in style and making some noise.”

“The division is f-cked,” he said. “No interesting fights.”

Although middleweight has its problems, Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker, which takes place next week at UFC 213, is one of the year’s most highly anticipated bouts. The pay-per-view is scheduled for July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.