Rockhold out of Strickland fight at UFC 268 due to injury
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has withdrawn from his fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 after suffering a back injury, he announced Monday on Instagram, according to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn.
"There's no easy way to really say it, but the fight is off in New York," Rockhold said. "I ended up herniating a disc in my back. L4, L5. The docs say it's nothing I can play with. I need to do some treatment and recovery time. Some things just aren't meant to be. ... I'm sorry to the friends and the peeps and everyone, but we'll be back. Until next time."
Rockhold was set to step into the Octagon for the first time since losing to Jan Blachowicz in July 2019 in his light heavyweight debut. The 36-year-old's currently on a two-fight skid, and he's won just one of his previous four fights.
It's unclear whether the UFC will seek a replacement opponent for Strickland or postpone the bout.
Strickland, the seventh-ranked middleweight, has defeated his last five opponents, including Uriah Hall via unanimous decision in July.