Rockhold ponders retirement after KO loss: 'I can't be taking shots like that'
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is likely hanging up the gloves for good after his brutal knockout loss to Darren Till.
Rockhold made his professional boxing debut against Till, a fellow UFC veteran, in the main event of Misfits Boxing 22 last weekend in Manchester, England. Till dropped Rockhold in the first round and then put him to sleep with a vicious combination in the third.
Rockhold said Wednesday it was one of the "worst" losses of his career and has forced him to contemplate retirement.
"I am 40 years old, and I can't be taking shots like that," Rockhold told "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I want a future for myself, and I got a lot of good things in the works. That's pretty much - it's right about that time. There's not much left to do. I've done a lot in this sport. I've won my championships. I've done Karate Combat. I've done bare knuckle. I've done boxing. I don't know what else. Jiu-jitsu at the top level.
"I can compete with the best of the best, but I think it's time to put the competition shoes on hold for the time of times. I don't know. We'll see."
Rockhold is one of the most accomplished middleweights in MMA history. He won his first major title under the Strikeforce banner in 2011 and then captured the UFC championship in 2015. Rockhold holds wins over the likes of Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping, Lyoto Machida, and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.
The Santa Cruz, California, native last competed in MMA in August 2022 when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278. Rockhold announced his retirement after that fight but has since dabbled in various combat sports and promotions, including BKFC, Karate Combat, and now Misfits Boxing.
Rockhold said he'll always have "other forms of competition" in his life, but added that he's content putting fighting in the rearview mirror.
"I'm pretty happy with where I'm at," Rockhold said. "I still will continue to train, I still will continue to test people. ... We always have top-tier talent coming through Newport Beach here. I always like to test people. I might not want to take the hardest shots from the biggest hitters, but I'm gonna test myself. I want to keep pushing myself. But the real competition, I think, is gonna be behind me."