MMA reporter Ariel Helwani provided some interesting insight about the landscape of the middleweight division in his latest post. He revealed that former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold accepted a fight against ‘2020 Breakout Fighter of the Year’ Khamzat Chimaev. The fight was offered to Rockhold for August 28 and he is on record for having accepted the bout.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
However, Luke Rockhold learned that ‘Borz’ had turned down a fight against him as he wanted to continue his career at welterweight.
This move came as a surprise to Rockhold as Chimaev has built his name off the ‘Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere’ utterance. Rockhold provided a brief statement on the news that Chimaev turned down a scrap.
“All Respect but I thought he would fight anyone”, said the former UFC and Strikeforce champion.
Rockhold is looking to make a return by the end of Summer, but it will not be against ‘Borz’. In fact, Chimaev also reportedly turned down a scrap against Rockhold on August 7 which was a 3-round contest. It will be interesting to see if the fan perception of Khamzat Chimaev changes after the recent news.
Also Read: Nick Diaz’s Next Fight Might Not Be in the UFC
Luke Rockhold: On the comeback trail
Rockhold is 1-3 in his last four outings and has suffered two straight KO defeats in his previous outings. However, as he’s exclusively faced the very best fighters on the roster, his losses only tell half the story. Not to mention, he’s been a part of the title picture for virtually his entire UFC run and is always in the mix.
Getty
NEWARK, NJ – APRIL 18: Luke Rockhold celebrates defeating Lyoto Machida of Brazil by tap out in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The 16-5 fighter wants a top contender for his comeback bout as he believes he’s ready to re-enter the mix. As Rockhold has had large stints of inactivity, his ability to replicate his early career success despite breaks will be a large talking point.
Fans want to see Luke Rockhold make a comeback as he’s got a fighting style that could be challenging for Israel Adesanya. He’s considered one of the best ground and pound practitioners in MMA and can easily pose problems for any middleweight. However, he’ll have to rattle off a couple of decisive wins in order to enter the title picture.
Watch this story: Top 5 Biggest Rivalries in the History of the UFC
