Aljamain Sterling responds to a fan calling Luke Rockhold a quitter following former UFC star's loss against Mike Perry at BKFC 41
Aljamain Sterling has responded to a fan who called Luke Rockhold a quitter following Rockhold's loss to Mike Perry. Rockhold made his bare-knuckle boxing debut at BKFC 41 on April 29th, 2023.
The former UFC middleweight champion faced former UFC welterweight contender Mike Perry in the headlining matchup at BKFC 41. In round two of their thrilling 185-pound showdown, Rockhold indicated that he wouldn't be able to continue, which caused the referee to wave off the fight.
Perry emerged victorious via a second-round TKO. It was subsequently confirmed that Rockhold was unable to continue as his teeth were severely damaged during the fight. Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling posted a tweet regarding the showdown, stating:
"Did he knock a tooth out?!?!"
Did he knock a tooth out?!?!
A fan replied to Aljamain Sterling's aforementioned tweet by suggesting that Luke Rockhold did seemingly lose a tooth. Additionally, opining that Rockhold simply quit, the fan wrote:
"Looked like it. But Rockhold straight quit."
@funkmasterMMA Looked like it. But Rockhold straight quit.
Sterling responded to the fan's tweet by asserting that he wouldn't call Rockhold a quitter:
"I wouldn’t call Luke a quitter for having his tooth knocked out. I’m not sure if you think that’s the equivalent of being punched in the arm haha."
I wouldn’t call Luke a quitter for having his tooth knocked out. I’m not sure if you think that’s the equivalent of being punched in the arm haha. twitter.com/eric_a_beckman…
Luke Rockhold last competed in MMA back in August 2022, losing via unanimous decision against Paulo Costa in a middleweight matchup. Rockhold retired from the sport of MMA after the loss.
UFC bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling is scheduled to defend his title against former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo. The Sterling-Cejudo matchup will headline UFC 288 on May 6th, 2023.
The aftermath of Luke Rockhold vs. Mike Perry
Following his loss at BKFC 41, Luke Rockhold posted a video on his official Instagram account. In the video, the veteran fighter implied that he isn't done with combat sports yet. He further hinted that rather than a bare-knuckle bout, he'd prefer to fight with gloves next. Rockhold said:
"Well, f**k. What can I say? You can check bare knuckle off the list. That’s some crazy sh**. Those little knuckles got me, square on the front too. Maybe a beard, maybe a better mouthpiece. It was a good fight. It’s a shame it had to end that way. Motherf**ker Mikey, tough b**tard, congrats. Thanks to my sponsors. Thank you to the people. I’m not done. Some gloves would be nice though.”
Watch Rockhold's video below:
Meanwhile, Mike Perry issued a respectful post-fight call-out to UFC megastar Conor McGregor, who was in attendance at BKFC 41. 'Platinum' and McGregor then engaged in a face-off inside the BKFC ring, teasing a potential bare-knuckle boxing match down the line.
Presently, it's believed that Perry is unlikely to box McGregor next, as the Irishman is still under contract with the UFC and will return to MMA competition later this year. 'Platinum's' next opponent and comeback date haven't been revealed yet.