Luke Rockhold turns down retirement plans; hoping to fight by the end of 2020
There has been no surprise to the fact that former UFC Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold has been vocal regarding a potential retirement from Mixed Martial Arts.
This past November, the former UFC Middleweight Champion had claimed that he had lost his desire for fighting and while it did seem like he was edging closer to a potential retirement, Rockhold has now confirmed that he won't be stepping away from the fight game.
While Luke Rockhold did claim in April he was getting an itch to compete again in the Octagon, the Middleweight veteran has now confirmed that he once again hopes to fight before the end of the year.
Rockhold is currently recovering from shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff, however, the former UFC Middleweight Champion will indeed once again be returning to Octagon action at the age of 35, claimed ESPN.
What's in store for Luke Rockhold if he returns to the UFC?
The UFC Middleweight Division is currently stacked with some of the best fighters in the game. The champion Israel Adesanya is still in his early 30s, whereas, his next challenger Paulo Costa is in his late 20s. While other top contenders such as Robert Whittaker and Darren Till are still in their late 20s, as well, whereas, Jack Hermansson remains is 32.
With that being said, age is definitely a factor for Luke Rockhold in the Middleweight Division but the former division champion has shown his interest in a potential rematch against fellow veteran Chris Weidman.
Weidman was recently victorious over Omari Akhmedov in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 6 and while it was far from his best performance in the Octagon, maybe another fight between Weidman and Rockhold could indeed be on the cards.
The next time we see Luke Rockhold in action it will definitely be in the Middleweight Division. Much like his rival Chris Weidman, Rockhold also tried his hand in the Light Heavyweight Division but was the victim of a second-round KO to Jan Blachowicz.