Luke Rockhold is back in action in April this year. The former UFC Middleweight champion retired from MMA back in August 2022, following his loss to Paulo Costa. Since then, he made a comeback in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, where he made his debut against Mike Perry. However, his debut fight did not go well as Rockhold got obliterated by Perry. After his disheartening BKFC 41 loss, the 39-year-old left BKFC as well and it seems that he is now focusing his talents on Karate Combat. Rockhold signed with the organization recently and will make his debut in the same month as UFC 300.
Luke Rockhold will take on Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 on April 20 in Dubai. It is expected to be a huge event as there are a number of international stars who will be in attendance. UFC royalty Georges St-Pierre will be attending the event alongside the likes of Indian actor Salman Khan, and Logan Paul’s ex-best friend, Mike Majlak.
| Luke Rockhold will take on Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 in Dubai on April 20. pic.twitter.com/pfRNJtEq8D
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 27, 2024
Rockhold’s opponent, Joe Schilling, is a 40-year-old kickboxing veteran who has not fought since 2019. The American will also make his debut for Karate Combat on April 20. Interestingly, Luke Rockhold is fighting a man who has been even more inactive in competing than him. However, regardless of the variables, Rockhold will look to start his Karate Combat career with a win, unlike his BKFC nightmare.
Meanwhile, amidst the buzz of Rockhold’s Karate Combat stint, the former UFC Champion recently dissed Jon Jones on Instagram. It seems Rockhold does not have any respect for ‘Bones’ as he roasted the champ in the comments section.
Luke Rockhold roasts Jon Jones saying he beat ‘average light heavyweights’
Luke Rockhold does not think Jon Jones is very skilled. Jones made his return to the octagon last year, taking on Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title. However, Rockhold seems to believe that the current UFC Heavyweiight champion’s return to the UFC was not very impressive for the following reasons,
“He barely beat average light heavyweights on questionable decisions. Then beat a ranked heavyweight, not a champion. Skills are also much higher at the lighter weights.”
Let Luke Rockhold cook pic.twitter.com/un6k60jkNZ
— BORZ DRIPMAEV (@big38gohawkem) November 7, 2023
However, Luke Rockhold’s claim of Jon Jones beating average light heavyweights might not stand as legitimate. ‘Bones’ has fought and defeated some of the best fighters the UFC has ever seen. No fighter with a resume including wins over Rampage Jackson, Glover Teixeira, Vitor Belfort, and Daniel Cormier can be called ‘average’.
Despite being just three years younger than Rockhold, Jones is still competing in the highest level of MMA competition. Whereas, the former UFC Middleweight Champion is in and out of retirement often.
