Luke Rockhold sets himself career-altering challenge in potential Logan Paul matchup
Luke Rockhold is willing to put his fighting career on the line in a boxing match against Logan Paul.
Rockhold has been calling out Jake Paul and his brother Logan since parting ways with the UFC last month. The former UFC middleweight champion wants to fight either man in a boxing match, and he’s going one step further to try and secure the opportunity.
During an interview with InsideFighting, Rockhold was asked about potentially fighting the older Paul brother. He responded:
“If I don’t knock him [Logan Paul] out, I’ll retire… If I don’t knock Logan Paul out cold, I’d be f***ing out... I’d be f***ing devastated, but that ain’t gonna happen.”
Rockhold is coming off a loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278. Despite having his moments, the former UFC champion has now lost three consecutive fights, with his last win coming against David Branch in September 2017.
With that said, the 38-year-old showed he still has some gas left in the tank and is motivated to try professional boxing.
Watch Luke Rockhold's interview with InsideFighting below:
Luke Rockhold doubles down on his desire to compete in boxing
Luke Rockhold requested to leave the UFC for several reasons. He told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that his decision was based on getting burned out in the UFC, leading to a desire to compete elsewhere. Although Rockhold hasn’t ruled out an MMA return, he wants to compete in professional boxing next.
The 38-year-old had this to say during the same interview with InsideFighting:
“I wanna box. I took my time away from the UFC ‘cause my legs need a break. I’ve taken a lot of damage, couple of surgeries after my fight on my ankle. It feels good to have that break and get that freedom. The UFC gave me that opportunity, so I wanna go box these kids… I’m here to go box a bit, but I still have fight in me too.”
The only people Rockhold has called out publicly for a boxing match are Jake and Logan Paul. Unfortunately, those fights appear unlikely to materialize. Jake is looking to take the next step toward fighting legitimate boxers or current MMA superstars, including Nate Diaz. 'The Problem Child' also has an upcoming fight against Tommy Fury.
Meanwhile, Logan is focused on professional wrestling, frequently appearing in the WWE.
Nevertheless, it appears that Luke Rockhold is after a big payday in boxing, be it against a Paul brother or someone else.