Santa Cruz native Luke Rockhold, a former UFC middleweight champion, is stepping away from competitive combat sports.
After absorbing a brutal knockout punch from Darren Till at Misfits Boxing 22 in Manchester, England, over the weekend, Rockhold took to social media on Tuesday to announce the fight was likely his last.
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In his post, Rockhold mentioned his love of combat sports, thanked his coaches, teammates, and training partners, and closed with “It’s time to work on my golf swing.” He never used the “R” word.
On “The Ariel Helwani Show” Wednesday, Rockhold was asked if he was indeed retiring from combat sports.
“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.”
He said he’ll continue to train, challenge himself in the gym, and look for other competitive outlets.
Rockhold, also a Strikeforce middleweight champion, went 1-3 in his post-UFC forays across combat sports. He finished with a 16-6 MMA record, including 9-0 in Strikeforce.