OFFICIAL: Luke Rockhold Makes His UFC Return Against Sean Strickland on UFC 268

Former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold is finally set to make his return to the Octagon, officially. It’s been quite a while that the AKA trainee has been teasing his potential return. Well, he has a date for his comeback. Rockhold will fight Sean Strickland at UFC 268 in November.

Strickland is currently the No.8 ranked middleweight contender on the planet. He last fought Uriah Hall last weekend. ‘Tarzan’ earned a lopsided split decision in his favor. He will have a great opportunity in his next fight as Rockhold has certain stardom attached to his name.

Luke Rockhold will face Sean Strickland in a middleweight bout at UFC 268 on Nov. 6, sources confirmed to @bokamotoESPN after an initial report by Aaron Bronsteter.

Rockhold has not fought since his loss to Jan Blachowicz in July of 2019. pic.twitter.com/AG2vTXyp2e

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 4, 2021

Rockhold, a former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight kingpin, hasn’t fought since his 2019 knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz. He competed at the light-heavyweight division in UFC 239. The fight against Strickland will see him return to a division where he once held the belt. Also, he will end his Octagon hiatus of almost two and a half years.

NEWARK, NJ – APRIL 18: Luke Rockhold celebrates defeating Lyoto Machida of Brazil by tap out in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Rockhold holds wins over some notable UFC legends throughout his career. The likes of Jacare Souza, Chris Weidman, Tim Kennedy, Lyoto Machida, Michael Bisping, and more are some of his most notable career wins. However, he has lost 3 out of his last 4 fights and all by knockouts. At 36, how the former champion fares, remains to be seen.

Can Luke Rockhold return to the top of the UFC middleweight division?

The former champion believes his style is a nightmare for the top middleweights of the current UFC roster. His phenomenal grappling and diverse striking can certainly be a problem for anybody. But his chin is really questionable after suffering some colossal knockout blows in the recent past.

NEWARK, NJ – APRIL 18: Luke Rockhold prepares to fight against Lyoto Machida of Brazil in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Prudential Center on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)

Strickland is a tough outing for anybody. He will look to spoil the former champion’s return. His odd timing along with forwarding pressure can be a problem for the returning Rockhold. The fight will be a fair assessment of Rockhold’s future in the 185 lbs division of the UFC.

Also Read: ‘He Could’ve Been a Great Boxer’ : George Foreman Says He Was Heartbroken When Derrick Lewis Started His MMA Journey

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