"He's a decent boxer" - Luke Rockhold praises Jake Paul but says boxing is a 'dumbed down' version of fighting
Ever since he beat Tyron Woodley by way of a split decision, Jake Paul has won the praise of several MMA fighters. Luke Rockhold has now joined the bandwagon. But despite respecting Jake Paul, he doesn't hold the same view for the sport of boxing.
Speaking to former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier on DC & RC, Rockhold called Jake Paul a tough boxer. However, he added that boxing can never be considered real fighting.
"Jake Paul's tough! He's not a professional boxer but he's a tough kid. He showed that he can withstand, take some shots and keep going. If anything, he's a decent boxer. Boxing is not fighting, we all have to identify that. You put gloves on two guys and they dumb down their version of combative skills to overcome each other. Boxing is a performance, it's a dumbed-down version of fighting. He (Paul) is not a real fighter. If he wants a real fight, he can step in the game with four ounce gloves and we can do business. But that's not the case," said Luke Rockhold.
Watch Luke Rockhold's full appearance on DC & RC below:
What next for Luke Rockhold in UFC?
Rockhold will enter the octagon for the first time in more than two years at UFC 268. The event will take place on November 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The former middleweight champ will square off against No.8-ranked middleweight Sean Strickland on the pay-per-view main card.
UFC 268 will be headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 for the welterweight championship. A women's strawweight title rematch between Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili will serve as the co-main event.
Rockhold last fought current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in 2019. He lost the bout, which took place at UFC 239, via a knockout. It was his only fight in the 205-pound division thus far in his MMA career.
Overall, Rockhold has three defeats in four bouts since winning the middleweight belt from Chris Weidman at UFC 194 in December 2015. He holds a win-loss record of 16-5.