Scott Coker addresses possibility of former UFC champion Luke Rockhold joining Bellator
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Bellator president Scott Coker said that Luke Rockhold could potentially join the organization now that he's a free agent. Coker said that he had a word with Rockhold's manager Dave Martin but hasn't had a 'real conversation' yet.
Here's what Scott Coker said about Rockhold potentially joining Bellator:
"We talked to Dave Martin and I think Luke's going to come to the fight [Bellator 290]. We'll probably have a conversation or two. But, you know, we just haven't sat down and had a real conversation yet. We've been busy with this event. So, we will, at some point, see if there's something that could work or if it's a fit."
Check out the tweet by MMA Junkie featuring Scott Coker on Luke Rockhold:
Scott Coker says free agent Luke Rockhold will attend #Bellator290 and they'll soon determine if he's a "fit" to join the promotion.
@mma_kings' story: bit.ly/3Rpqf28 https://t.co/xxz638a3zf
Scott Coker and Rockhold previously worked together in the now-defunct Strikeforce.
Luke Rockhold last fought Paulo Costa at UFC 278 in what was his retirement fight in the promotion. Despite losing the fight, Rockhold showed a lot of heart and had some key moments in the fights - despite being gassed out early.
The performance earned Rockhold a Fight of the Night bonus, along with the much-desired audience's respect and admiration for his performance.
Rockhold gave an emotional post-fight speech where he let his heart out and called himself old. Check out Luke Rockhold's UFC 278 post-fight speech below:
When Michael Bisping turned Luke Rockhold into a meme
Rockhold was one of the hottest prospects in the UFC's middleweight division, having a stellar rise towards the title. Following his loss to Vitor Belfort in his debut at UFC on FX 8, he went on to finish all of his opponents, including putting a beating on former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 194 to claim UFC gold.
One of those five opponents was Michael Bisping, who Rockhold had an intense back-and-forth leading up to their first bout at UFC Fight Night 55.
In the second round of their bout, Rockhold landed a picture-perfect head-kick that grazed 'The Count' and dropped him. Luke Rockhold followed it up by mounting Bisping and finishing him with a guillotine choke.
Rockhold was scheduled to rematch Weidman at UFC 199. However, Weidman had to pull out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by Michael Bisping. The lead-up to the rematch was filled with all kinds of jibes being traded.
Their trash talk birthed the infamous 'conceive, believe, achieve' meme for which Rockhold was trolled relentlessly for years following their bout.
Rockhold seemed to take Bisping lightly, as he'd beaten him before. He kept his guard down in the fight, leading 'The Count' to find the perfect left hook, termed as 'left hook Larry' which dropped Rockhold. Bisping then went on to finish Rockhold on the ground in round one to win the middleweight title.