Former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold will be making his return very soon.
Following his loss to Jan Błachowicz at UFC 239, Rockhold stated in many interviews that he had no interest in fighting again; however, the veteran refused to say that he was retired, even though all signs pointed to him never stepping into the octagon again:
“My head is content where I’m at right now,” Rockhold told MMA Fighting in November, 2019. “I’ve done a lot of things in the sport. I’m not trying to be a headline maker. I’m not trying to say I’m going to retire and then want to come back. I don’t like to close doors on things in life.
“Right now, I’m just happy not fighting. It feels good to focus on other things,” he added. “Fighting takes a lot. I’ve done it, I’ve been to the top of the game. I just don’t have the same passion, the hunger for it at this point,” Rockhold said. “I’m excited to go in other realms of life. I know I have a lot of fans out there. I’m sorry I’m not fighting but you never know. Maybe someday I will but I don’t foresee it at this point.”
The 35-year-old didn’t keep this mindset for long as Rockhold has been teasing for months that he had the itch to fight again, with hopes of stepping into the ring against former UFC Middleweight Champions Anderson Silva or Chris Weidman.
On Sunday, the former champion finally confirmed to ESPN that he'll be making his return by the end of 2020. At the moment, Rockhold hasn’t confirmed a date for his return. With Chris Weidman coming off a victory and Anderson Silva looking for another fight, perhaps the former middleweight champion will end up facing either one of them.