Luke Rockhold travelled to Miami, Florida to be a guest sensei and make his play-by-play commentary debut on Saturday, June 23 at Karate Combat 40. But the former UFC and Strikeforce champ addressed more than just the event.
There have been talks of mutual interest between the growing Karate promotion and the former UFC middleweight champion, though Rockhold has made no assurances as to what his next venture may be following a one-off fight with Mike Perry in Bare Knuckle FC back in April.
While rumors of a potential clash with Lyoto Machida continue to resurface, Rockhold had something to say about another Brazilian fighter, one that also happens to be a fellow former UFC champion.
“Any day with [Alex] Pereira,” Rockhold said. “Give me 10 seconds on the ground. I’ll f*cking kill that motherf*cker.”
Luke Rockhold: “Any day with Pereira.
Give me 10 seconds on the ground. I’ll f***ing kill that motherf***er. – Former UFC Middleweight Champion @LukeRockhold on a potential matchup with @AlexPereiraUFC – full story coming to @Cagesidepress 📝 pic.twitter.com/srvaePTOJ5— Dylan Rush (@rushmma11) June 24, 2023
Rockhold retired from the UFC following a decision loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278 last August, though he hasn’t closed the door on a possible return to mixed martial arts. The 38-year old secured his release from his old employer earlier this year, paving the way for his BKFC bout.
Though a reunion seems unlikely at this point in time, stranger things have happened in this sport. With Pereira moving up to the light heavyweight division, Rockhold may be more intrigued by the challenge of bulking up as opposed to cutting so much weight.
“Poatan,” on the other hand, is currently training for his upcoming bout with Jan Blachowicz next month, as he looks to secure a victory and move one step closer to regaining UFC gold. The fight will mark his light heavyweight debut in MMA.
