Luke Rockhold is taking a step back after his latest setback against Darren Till at Misfits Boxing 22.
The former UFC middleweight champion made his professional boxing debut against fellow UFC veteran Till this past Saturday in Manchester, England. Unfortunately for Rockhold, the foray into the sweet science resulted in his first knockout loss in six years, as Till scored a brutal third-round finish.
Advertisement
Rockhold, 40, revealed Wednesday on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” that he’s putting his combat sports career on hold for the foreseeable future.
“I’m 40 years old and I can’t be taking shots like that,” Rockhold said. “I want a future for myself, and I’ve got a lot of good things in the works. So it’s around about that time.
“There’s not much left 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 [boxing], I’ve done boxing, jiu-jitsu, all at the toughest level. I compete with the best of the best, but I think it’s time to put the competition shoes on hold.”
Rockhold entered the Misfits Boxing ring after going 1-2 in his post-UFC forays across combat sports. Since parting ways with the company in 2022, Rockhold suffered a bare-knuckle boxing defeat to Mike Perry in an April 2023 showdown with BKFC, followed it up with a Karate Combat win over Joe Schilling in April 2024, then dropped a decision to Pat Downey in a CJI grappling match in August 2024.
Advertisement
Plenty of legendary fighters of the past have struggled in Rockhold’s position to refrain from continuing down the path of competing well past their best days, and in the early wake of his loss to Till, Rockhold knows it will be a challenge for him to stick to his word. He danced around the word “retire” on Wednesday, even if the implication was clear.
“There’s other forms of competition, for sure,” Rockhold said. “To tell you the exact truth, I did feel good [against Till]. I was putting in my game plan and what I did. I had sparred maybe one time this camp. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to spar too much. I had a little crack in my rib. Before the first press conference, I sparred a big heavyweight and he hit me with a good shot. I thought I could work around it, and I wasn’t able to spar the rest of the camp.
“I tried one time, and it ignited some soft tissue damage and stuff. So my timing just wasn’t perfect. You can hit pads, bag work, and do everything you can to prepare, but you’ve got to see punches, and I was getting off. I was doing my thing, but Darren is sharp as can be. If you’re not really ready for those moments, you’re going to get hit, and I slipped up and he got through, and that was the wrap.”
Rockhold first joined the UFC in 2013 as part of the Strikeforce merger, having he reigned over Strikeforce as its middleweight champion. After suffering a setback to Vitor Belfort in his UFC debut, Rockhold proved to be as good as advertised, embarking on a stellar five-fight finish streak that consisted of former and future UFC champions Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman and Michael Bisping.
Advertisement
The victory over Weidman at UFC 194 in 2015 became Rockhold’s crowning achievement, earning him the status of undisputed UFC middleweight champion. Although Rockhold’s career never again matched the same heights it reached during that run, he’s content with what he accomplished all these years later.
“There’s always things that gnaw at you, but at the same time, 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, so I’m pretty happy with where I’m at. I still will continue to train, I still will continue to test people. We have a great thing here with the Santos Studio and Jaxxon Podcast, so 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 I’m going to test myself and keep pushing myself.
“The real competition is going to be behind me. I’m not taking shots like that anymore. I do value my health and I like to think clearly. I’m going to go through a little protocol and get my head right, and make things right. Clean it up.”
