Outside Source
Luke Rockhold came up short against Paulo Costa in his last UFC appearance. | Getty/UFC
Luke Rockhold isn’t quite ready to say it outright, but it sounds like the former UFC and Strikeforce champion is close to stepping away from combat sports.
Rockhold is facing a harsh reality after suffering a third-round knockout loss to Darren Till at Misfits Boxing 22 this past Saturday in Manchester, England. The Californian was dropped in the first round before being folded backward and rendered unconscious at the 1:08 mark of Round 3.
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“I’m 40 years old and I can’t be taking shots like that. I want a future for myself,” Rockhold said on “The Arieal Helwani Show.”
“I’ve got a lot of good things in the works. That’s pretty much — it’s round about that time. There’s not much left to to do. I’ve done a lot in this sport. I’ve won my championships. I’ve done Karate Combat, I’ve done bare knuckle, I’ve done boxing, I’ve done jiu-jitsu at the highest level. I can compete with the best of the best, but I think it’s time to put the competition shoes on hold for the time. We’ll see.”
Rockhold appeared to hesitate at times durign the interview when asked to make a definitive statement regarding retirement. Even if he isn’t actively competing, the longtime American Kickboxing Academy standout will continue to train and spar — and he may look for other avenues in which to test himself.
“I think there’s always gonna be other forms of competition,” he said. “I think that’s what a lot of people miss and lose their mental health and sanity through the process of non-competition…I believe in risking myself. I believe in hunting and being hunted …. You’ve got to balance yourself through the process.
I’ve got a lot of different ventures. There’s always gonna be another form of competition. There’s got to be something. If there’s not something, we all lose our focus. I recommend that for everybody. Competition is a beautiful thing in life. It keeps you young and it keeps you balanced. There’s nothing more real than fighting. When you sign that contract it puts everything into perspective and makes everything so real.”
Rockhold: ‘I’m Not Taking Shots Like That Anymore’
At this point in his life, however, Rockhold doesn’t have much more to accomplish in MMA or other combat sports. During a portion of his Strikeforce and UFC tenures, he was regarded as one of the top 185-pound talents in the world. However, suffering a loss in the manner he did against Till does tend to put things in perspective.
“I’ve done a lot in the sport,” Rockhold said. “I won a few Strikeforce world championships, and I became the undisputed UFC world champion. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at. I still will continue to train, I still will continue to test people….we always have top-tier talent coming through Newport Beach. I always like to test people. I might not want to take the hardest shots from the biggest hitters.
“…But real competition I think is gonna be behind me. I’m not taking shots like that anymore. I do value my health. I like to think clearly.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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