06 February 2023 , 13:26
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Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold has promised to retire from fighting "for good" if he is unable to knockout Logan Paul in a potential boxing match.
Rockhold, 38, negotiated his UFC release last month despite still having several fights left on his contract. The former middleweight champion is now keen on competing in other promotions such as PFL but has called out YouTube boxers such as Logan and his brother Jake for fights. Rockhold is so confident that he would beat Logan in the ring that he would stop fighting for good if he doesn't knock the YouTuber "out cold".
“If I don’t knock him out, I’ll retire,” Rockhold told Inside Fighting. "I’ll retire for good. I mean, that’s done but, I’m putting hands together. If I don’t knock Logan Paul out cold, I’d be f****ng out. I’m out, I guarantee it. No, not disappointment — I’d be f****** devastated, but, that ain’t gonna happen. I'll put him to sleep if he wants to step up.
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Rockhold admitted that he would prefer to compete in boxing for his next fight instead of MMA after undergoing multiple surgeries for an ankle injury. The 38-year-old hasn't won a fight in almost five years as he failed to ever return to winning form after losing his 185lb title to Michael Bisping in 2016. Rockhold ended his UFC stint with consecutive defeats to Yoel Romero, Jan Blachowicz and Paulo Costa.
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"I took my time away from the UFC because my legs needed a break. I've taken a lot of damage, had a couple surgeries on my ankle after my fight. It feels good to have that freedom, the UFC gave me that opportunity and said 'you want to go and box these kids, go do your thing.' I appreciate that and that's what I'm here to do," Rockhold added.
Logan Paul has been called out by ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold (USA TODAY Sports)Talks of Rockhold competing in the ring are heating up, as the ex-UFC star revealed he is negotiating with Jake's manager Nakisa Bidarian and Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza. Rockhold praised Jake and Logan for their boxing skills but said the brothers need to start facing fighters their own size.
"I'm talking to Nakisa, Stephen Espinoza, we've got a lot of things moving. There's too much fake s*** out there, they both need to put their a** on the line. Both of those boys are fighting smaller guys, they've done their thing and proved themselves a little bit. They are getting better, I give them that, but people want to see them fight real fighters who are they size. I'm a size they don't want to size up against," he said.