Ex-UFC champ Rockhold signs with Karate Combat

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has signed a deal with Karate Combat, he announced Wednesday.

Rockhold is scheduled to make his debut against MMA and kickboxing veteran Joe Schilling on April 20 in Dubai.

The 39-year-old will join the likes of Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson as former UFC champs who've competed under the Karate Combat banner. Pettis defeated Henderson in one of the most anticipated bouts in Karate Combat history last December.

Rockhold returned to the UFC in August 2022 following a three-year layoff, but a unanimous decision loss to middleweight contender Paulo Costa prompted his retirement from mixed martial ats. Rockhold then transitioned to BKFC, where he suffered a TKO loss to former UFC fighter Mike Perry last April.

Rockhold hasn't been victorious in any combat sport since beating David Branch in the UFC in 2017.

Rockhold held the promotion's middleweight belt from 2015-16 and was one of the top 185-pound fighters of his generation.