Sounds like Luke Rockhold is finally making good on that “imminent” plan to abandon his grueling weight cut at 185 pounds and will now try his luck at light heavyweight, starting with a UFC 239 pay-per-view (PPV) showdown opposite Jan Blachowicz on July 6 in Las Vegas.
That’s according to a report from ESPN.
Rockhold (16-4) coughed up his middleweight title — and snapped a five-fight win streak — when Michael Bisping buried him in the UFC 199 main event back in June 2016. Since then, the former Strikeforce champion is just 1-1, toppling David Branch in Pittsburgh before falling to Yoel Romero in Australia.
Blachowicz (23-8) recently suffered a major setback in his march toward the 205-pound title, wasting a four-fight win streak by losing to Thiago Santos last month in Prague. The Polish puncher will need a big performance this summer to stay relevant in the crowed light heavyweight division.
No other bouts have been announced for UFC 239; however, you can expect that to change sooner, rather than later.