Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold appears to be stepping away from combat sports — at least for now.
And unfortunately, it makes sense, as the 40-year-old was knocked out viciously by Darren Till this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 30, 2025) at Misfits Boxing 22 inside AO Arena in Manchester, England (watch highlights).
A couple of days after the loss, Rockhold told Ariel Helwani that it’s likely time to put fighting behind him.
“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 pretty much 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 for the time of times.”
Like many fighters, Rockhold hesitated to call it an official “retirement,” instead leaving the door cracked. He explained that he went into the fight underprepared, nursing a rib injury and sparring just once during camp.
Even so, Rockhold insists there’s one grudge match that could lure him back: Dillon Danis.
The two nearly came to blows backstage during fight week (details), and Rockhold didn’t hold back when asked about the feud.
“If you want to know the absolute truth, I slapped the shit out of Dillon,” Rockhold said. “He’s absolute f—king fraud and a piece of shit — the kid needs to step up and fight someone real. I would f—king kill that kid. I would come back to fight that kid. With two hands behind my back, I would f—k that kid in the ass. I’ll make it really dirty for that little swamp rat.”
Rockhold retires — for now — with a 16-6 MMA record, having held both the UFC and Strikeforce Middleweight titles. But like so many before him, don’t be surprised if he pops back up in a fight announcement come 2026.
