Tag: Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold claims Khamzat Chimaev once turned down UFC fight against him

According to Luke Rockhold, Khamzat Chimaev declined to fight him in the UFC.

According to [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] declined to fight him in the UFC.

Rockhold (16-6) claims that upon returning to the octagon from a three-year layoff, he was offered Chimaev, but the unbeaten middleweight turned him down. Rockhold ended up coming back to face Paulo Costa at UFC 278, losing the bloody, back-and-forth battle by unanimous decision.

The former UFC middleweight champion hasn’t competed in MMA since, but was just drafted to the Global Fight League as part of Team Dubai. Despite his new home, Rockhold doesn’t rule out a UFC return.

“I like all the matchups (in the UFC), so you never know,” Rockhold told Submission Radio. “I’m still fighting. I still feel good. I’m still getting in the game. But first things first, we’ve got (Chris) Weidman, we’ve got Gegard (Mousasi), we’ve got some fun fights (in the GFL).

“Khamzat turned down a fight against me. When I was supposed to come back, my first fight back before Paulo Costa, they tried to book that fight and he didn’t want to play. I said yes.”

Being part of the GFL will allow Rockhold to settle various unfinished business from the UFC.

“There’s some fights I’m really interested in,” Rockhold said. “Obviously Mousasi is out there, I know he mentioned it. That’s a fight that I’ve always been interested in. So competitive fights, fun fights, big fights – it piques my interest.”

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GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

That time Michael Bisping took his fake eye out to mock Luke Rockhold …

The good news is, ex-rivals Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold are on decent terms now.

The good news is, ex-rivals [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] are on decent terms now.

Maybe they aren’t sharing a table at Friendsgiving, but they’re probably not putting sugar in the other guy’s gas tank, either.

So when they got together on fellow former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s podcast recently, they did some playful ribbing. The pair are 1-1 against each other. Rockhold submitted Bisping in 2014, but Bisping got big-time comeuppance when he upset Rockhold with a knockout to win the middleweight title in 2016.

But when he wasn’t in title fights, Bisping was dealing with eye issues – and a detached right retina from his 2013 head kick knockout loss to Vitor Belfort eventually led to full blindness in that eye, and he wears a cosmetic one.

That gave him the perfect opportunity to let Rockhold know that when he beat him, he beat him with one eye – and proved it by taking it out of his head, much to the discomfort of the rest of the room.

Check out the footage on the “JAXXON” Podcast above (around the 16 minute mark).

Luke Rockhold questions Jiri Prochazka’s mental state before UFC 311

Former UFC champ Luke Rockhold offered his insight on the big upcoming light heavyweight clash at UFC 311.

[autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] offered his insight on the big upcoming light heavyweight clash at UFC 311.

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Jamahal Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) square off in a key divisional matchup on Jan. 18 at Inuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The event streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Both fighters will look to rebound from knockout losses to UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, but former UFC and Strikeforce titleholder Rockhold is more concerned with Prochazka’s mental state heading into the fight.

“That’s a very tough fight man,” Rockhold said on the “JAXXON Podcast.” “You just don’t know where Jiri’s at. His head and his mind. Both of them, they’re coming off bad losses to Pereira. Jiri, two bad losses. He just didn’t look himself. He knew what he needed to do, and he went out there and fought blindly. I didn’t like the way that Jiri fought his last time out vs. Pereira.

“He just didn’t look like he would follow the game plan. Like, what were you doing? I don’t know. To think you could stand with him and play this karate style, kung fu game? You can’t fight like that, a guy that he’s so dangerous. You can’t fight with your hands down and you got to go for takedowns. You identified his weakness, but you didn’t even try to exploit it.”

Rockhold rates Hill as the sharper striker going into the potential title eliminator at UFC 311, and gives him the edge over Prochazka.

“Jamahal Hill’s more dangerous,” Rockhold said. “He’s got pop, he’s got power, he goes for the kill and Jamahal’s got funky – he’s weirdly athletic sometimes. He’s hard to take down. You’ve seen in the Glover fight, he was able to get up and get his way and funks his way through a lot of things, and he ends up finding his shot, the kill shot. But, like I said, this is a rebuilding process for both of them and you don’t know, but I don’t know. I might favor Jamahal in this one.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Luke Rockhold: Umar Nurmagomedov can beat Merab Dvalishvili everywhere

Luke Rockhold expects Umar Nurmagomedov to pose serious problems for Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311.

[autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] expects [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] to pose serious problems for [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] at UFC 311.

Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in the Jan. 18 co-main event from Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Rockhold, who trained with Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy, says “The Young Eagle” represents the new wave of talent from the Nurmagomedov school. Rockhold acknowledges Dvalishvili’s relentless grappling, but sees Nurmagomedov having an answer for everything he throws at him.

“This is a tough matchup,” Rockhold said on the “JAXXON Podcast.” “Merab’s just a tricky, tough, hard-nosed dude, so it’s like he’s got to work around him. I mean, he can outstrike him, and he can not get outwrestled. I think that’s where Umar can win. He can beat him everywhere, really. He can outstrike him, and then Merab can shoot in. Umar can counter him and get to his back. I’m telling you, he is better than him everywhere.

“Merab might have the wrestling advantage in some way, shape or form, but not. Umar can counter him, but it’s going to come down to determination. Think about it. You’re like, it’s a tough matchup for Umar, but then you start really looking at it. He’s going to outstrike Merab, and then Merab is going to get frustrated and shoot in. Umar’s going to counter him, he’s probably get to a dominant position, and it’s going to go back up. I don’t see that fight going any other way.”

According to DraftKings, Nurmagomedov is a sizable -290 favorite to remain unbeaten and dethrone Dvalishvili, who’s a +235 underdog.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Global Fight League announces launch, roster includes giant list of former UFC fighters

GFL has arrived – and it’s bringing fairly massive names from UFC yesteryears with it.

A new player has entered the MMA landscape, and it has arrived with some big names.

Wednesday, Global Fight League (GFL) announced its official launch will come in the opening weeks of 2025. The GFL concept differs from that of UFC and PFL.

While it has a league format and playoffs, it is also team-based and has a draft. There will be six franchises (names and cities to follow). The draft is scheduled for Jan. 24, with an inaugural event to follow in April.

Who’s fighting?

Co-founder Darren Owen revealed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday that the promotion has over 300 fighters under contract. Not all fighters will be drafted.

Of the 92 fighters posted to the promotion’s official website, 45 of them are former UFC fighters. Names include Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Kevin Lee, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior Dos Santos among others.

Scroll below to see the released names:

  • [autotag]Marcel Adur[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Amirkhon Alikhuzhaev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Omar Arteaga[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Deberson Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Raimundo Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stephen Beaumont[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudeci Brito[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Will Brooks[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Yan Cabral[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexsandro Cangaty[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rafael Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayton de Paepe[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Patrizio de Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcelo Dias[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tonya Evinger[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kalindra Faria[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marciano Ferreira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chauncey Foxworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Glaico Franca[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Guto Inocente[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Michael Irizarry[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]
  • [autotag]William Lima[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ruan Machado[/autotag]
  • [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandr Maslov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Dominick Meriweather[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Silvania Monteiro[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Killys Motta[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayinda Octave[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Oliveira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oscar Ownsworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Denis Palancica[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rousimar Palharaes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jefferson Pontes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cleiton Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Julio Spadaccini[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Soukhamthath[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Roggers Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gabriel Souza Galindo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Mohamed Tarek Mohey[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Teixeira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oli Thompson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Austin Tweedy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Feruz Usmonov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]

What does GFL provide athletes that other promotions don’t?

According to Owen, GFL offers fighters a 50-50 split in revenue sharing. Additionally, the promotion provides comprehensive support for training and medical bills, retirement benefits, insurance coverage, and more.

Who is behind GFL and where is the money coming from?

Owen is listed as the co-founder and commissioner for GFL and serves essentially as the public face for the promotion. He served as COO of PFL vs. October 2015 to May 2020 and was the founder and CEO of World Series of Fighting Canada, according to his LinkedIn page.

Also listed on the promotion’s website are Arun Parimi (co-founder and COO), Scott Parker (CMO), and Jeffrey Pollack (senior advisor).

Owen declined to identify the source of the funds behind the operation, but did say it’s a silicon valley investor.

How does the regular season work?

Similarly to PFL, GFL has a point system for regular season fights.

A finish victory notches a fighter’s team four points. A decision win earns three points. A draw earns two points. A decision loss earns one point. If a fighter loses by finish, he or she walks away with zero points.

Sean Strickland responds to Luke Rockhold’s callout: ‘Xtreme? I’ll f*ck you up for fun’

Sean Strickland fires back at Luke Rockhold’s recent callout.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] to get a response from [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Rockhold (16-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) recently criticized Strickland’s fighting style and performance at Saturday’s UFC 302. Not only that, but he went a step further and said he’d like to get in the octagon and fight Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC).

Strickland took to X to fire back. It looks like he’s interested in fighting Rockhold and would do it at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas rather than the UFC.

“Couple things… I sparred you 1 round, f*cked you up, and you snuck away like a b*tch. This was witnessed,” Strickland wrote. “Also, we were scheduled to fight. I said, ‘Hell yeah, that’s an easy paycheck,’ and you pulled out a few weeks out… Xtreme? I’ll f*ck you up for fun lol.”

Rockhold, a former UFC middleweight champion, is currently not with the UFC. He fought out his contract in 2022 after a Fight of the Night loss to Paulo Costa. Rockhold fought the following year with BKFC and suffered a TKO loss to Mike Perry. After some period of inactivity, Rockhold returned this past April to pick up a KO win over Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45.

Strickland, also a former middleweight champion, is coming off the split decision over Costa, which put him back in the win column. He was outpointed by Dricus Du Plessis earlier this year, losing his UFC middleweight title.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Luke Rockhold pleads with Dana White to give him Sean Strickland: ‘I will f*cking end this kid’s life’

To say Luke Rockhold wants a piece of Sean Strickland would be an understatement.

[autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] wants a piece of fellow former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Rockhold (16-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC), 39, parted ways with the UFC after losing a Fight of the Night brawl against Paulo Costa in August 2022. He was frustrated watching Strickland beat Costa in this past Saturday’s UFC 302 co-main event.

Rockhold doesn’t enjoy watching Strickland fight and would love to throw down with him in the octagon.

“If you were Dana White, would you ever want this guy fighting back for a title? I can’t stand watching this motherf*cker fight,” Rockhold said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “F*cking book me. Sign me up, Dana. I will f*cking end this kid’s life, I guarantee.”

Rockhold mouthed off on the UFC in the lead-up to his fight with Costa, so he isn’t sure if they’re on good terms – but he’s open to reconciling.

“(Strickland) just wants to get into like a brawl every time because he’s got that style (where) he comes from such weird angles that he wins a lot of those exchanges,” Rockhold said of Strickland. “He’s going to try and wear you out, but you’ve got to go high, low, you’ve got to wrestle with him. Dana gives me that hall pass, I’ll come in, I will step on that kid’s face.

“I left and obviously if a lot of people paid attention, they saw that week (leading up to) Paulo Costa I had a lot of things to say. I’ve been gone for a while, and I felt like I was mistreated a bit and so – everything is gone. Water under the bridge, but I don’t know if they want to deal with me. But if we did deal, I’d deal right.”

Rockhold and Strickland were booked to fight at UFC 268, but the fight was scrapped when Rockhold withdrew due to a back injury. The pair sparred before, and Rockhold is confident he’d get the better of him on the ground.

“I’ve worked with Strickland. He’s weird, he’s awkward, but he ain’t that good,” Rockhold said. “He’s got decent wrestling, he’s got decent defensive jiu-jitsu. Like, he just gets up. He knows how to get up. He’s decent with that. That’s what he does well.”

Strickland’s loud and unfiltered mouth also rubs Rockhold the wrong way.

“I hate that guy,” Rockhold said. “I know a lot of people look at me, and they just hate me. I see this f*cking kid’s face every time, and it’s just disgusting. He’s a fake little b*tch. He doesn’t even know who he is. I don’t think he believes the sh*t he’s saying these days. He’s just spouting off.”

After losing to Costa, Rockhold signed with BKFC and suffered a TKO loss to Mike Perry in April 2023. Rockhold then picked up his first combat sports win in years when he knocked out Joe Schilling this past April at Karate Combat 45.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Luke Rockhold has a wild idea for a Karate Combat grand prix involving UFC legends

If Karate Combat could convince four former UFC champions – two Hall of Famers – to compete in a one-night grand prix, would you watch?

If Karate Combat could convince four former UFC champions – two of them Hall of Famers – to compete in a one-night grand prix, would you watch?

That’s an idea floated by [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], who was asked on the JAXXON PODCAST episode released Monday if he was going to fight Anderson Silva in Karate Combat. His answer is sure to raise some eyebrows.

“Yeah, [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag], ([autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag]) and [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] all in one night,” Rockhold said.

Come again? You mean like a grand prix?

“It’s a lottery pick,” Rockhold said. “It’s me, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Bisping, lottery pick, double fight, championship, Karate Combat.”

[Insert head exploding emoji here.]

TO BE CLEAR, Rockhold didn’t necessarily say this was in the works, but with Rockhold recently competing in Karate Combat, Bisping saying he’d be down for a Rockhold trilogy in Karate Combat, and Karate Combat trying to make a splash in the combat sports scene, it’s not inconceivable to think this could happen.

Would watch.

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Video: Buy or sell Ryan Garcia vs. Sean O’Malley, Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping 3 in Karate Combat, more

Ryan Garcia vs. Sean O’Malley, Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping 3: Are these good ideas? Our panel discusses on “Spinning Back Clique.”

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel reacts to some of the recent callouts and requests from MMA fighters.

This past week, we saw UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] double down on his desire to box [autotag]Ryan Garcia[/autotag]. We also saw [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] say he’s all in on a return from retirement to fight [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] in a trilogy bout under Karate Combat. These were just a couple of the callouts and requests seen in the MMA world.

Are these good or bad ideas? Should matchmakers entertain these matchups?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Farah Hannoun, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia make sense of all these callouts and give their takes on buying or selling.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

https://youtube.com/live/1W_eLDUuvQE

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