Luke Rockhold is days away from starting the post-UFC chapter of his fighting career, and he’s already loving it.
Rockhold, a former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion, fought under the UFC regime for the last decade. His bareknuckle boxing debut against Mike Perry this Saturday in the main event of BKFC 41 in Denver will mark the first time he fights outside the octagon since 2012.
The 38-year-old fought out his UFC contract last August in a Fight of the Night decision loss to Paulo Costa. Rockhold needed to see what was out there in the free agency world of combat sports.
“I kind of wanted to see other things, for sure,” Rockhold told MMA Junkie. “I was just tired of the UFC and dealing with them. I needed a break. I needed a break. My legs had been tortured from fighting, so I needed to change it up. I’m definitely still very interested in combat sports, but the UFC and its structure, it wasn’t for me at the time.”
Rockhold feels he’s getting what he sought out as a free agent.
He signed a lucrative contract with BKFC, but has the freedom to do MMA, boxing, grappling or any combat sport other than bareknuckle boxing. The freedom of being a hired gun at this point of his fighting career has been refreshing.
“We’ll see how I like it,” Rockhold said. “But I think there are a lot of other options out there for me too, so I’m not going to be handcuffed myself to one thing like the UFC.
“That was the thing that kind of takes the fun out of it. There are so many avenues now with boxing, exhibition fights. You can go out there and pick off who you want and for what you want and get everyone intrigued and excited at the same time. It’s just something that keeps me going. Getting stuck in that revolving door of the UFC and them picking and choosing for me, it’s like ‘No, it’s not for me. I’ve done that sh*t.'”
Rockhold’s journey outside the UFC starts this Saturday. He’s not looking to become a champion in BKFC. He’s out to get the most interesting fights out there, while collecting the biggest checks available.
He’s unsure of what the future will hold past Perry, but either way, he’s excited.
“I think the champion is not really relevant. He’s not worth my time,” Rockhold said when asked about his goals. “Mike Perry is the interesting fight. I want a fight that gets me excited, that gets the fans excited, and f*cking pays the bills. This is the fight that people want to see, and I’m excited about it. I think it’s a great little comeback fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 41.
