Luke Rockhold, 40, set to retire after legendary fight career<\/p>\n
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show<\/a>, Rockhold announced his decision to retire.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m 40 years old and I can\u2019t be taking shots like that,\u201d Rockhold said. \u201cI want a future for myself, and I\u2019ve got a lot of good things in the works. So it\u2019s around about that time\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not much left to do. I\u2019ve done a lot in this sport. I\u2019ve won my championships. I\u2019ve done Karate Combat, I\u2019ve done bare-knuckle [boxing], I\u2019ve done boxing, jiu-jitsu, all at the toughest level. I compete with the best of the best, but I think it\u2019s time to put the competition shoes on hold.\u201d (h\/t Uncrowned<\/a>)<\/p>\n In an Instagram<\/a> post earlier on Wednesday, Rockhold further opened up on his decision to walk away.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t nothing like the fight game. Love it or hate it, there isn\u2019t anything more real in this life. The journey and the people are always a blessing,\u201d Rockhold posted.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see what you see from the outside but the truth is always far from. I gotta thank my coaches, my teammates, my partners and everybody that rides with me. It\u2019s time to work on my golf swing.\u201d<\/p>\n Rockhold won the UFC middleweight championship by finishing then-champion Chris Weidman at UFC 194<\/a>. Before making the leap to the UFC, Rockhold was considered one of the biggest stars under the Strikeforce banner, defeating the likes of Tim Kennedy and Jacare Souza.<\/p>\n Rockhold is the latest UFC veteran to hang up the gloves in 2025. Anthony Smith, Marina Rodriguez, and Jalin Turner are just a few names who have retired inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n