Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has expressed interest in fighting Luke Rockhold under Karate Combat rules, provided the pay is satisfactory.
Lyoto Machida? Yeah, he’s got his eyes on Luke Rockhold. But there’s a catch. It’s gotta be under Karate Combat rules. And the pay? It better be good.
Rockhold’s been on Machida’s radar since his knockout win over Joe Schilling. That was the main event of Karate Combat 45, happened just last Saturday in Dubai.
Machida’s response? He took to Instagram. “‘The Dragon’ is already breathing fire,” he said. He’s been fired up since the challenge was announced. Now, it’s all about getting the numbers right. Setting a date. Figuring out when this dog fight’s gonna happen.
Last time Rockhold and Machida met? That was under the UFC banner, back in 2015. Rockhold submitted Machida, earning himself a title shot at middleweight king Chris Weidman. Machida, on the other hand, hasn’t been in the ring since his Bellator deal ended with a loss to Fabian Edwards in 2022.
Rockhold’s been busy too. Fought in the UFC in August 2022, lost to Paulo Costa. Then, he suffered a TKO defeat to Mike Perry under bare-knuckle boxing rules in 2023. His win over Shilling? That was his first since he stopped David Branch in the second round back in 2017.
Rockhold’s post-fight interview in Dubai? He made his intentions clear. “There’s only one man I wanna fight in this pit, and that’s Lyoto Machida,” he said. He even taunted Machida about the no-elbow rule. He dared Machida to bring it on, challenged him to show what he’s got. He even mentioned paychecks, told Machida to bring out his checkbook. “Lyoto, I know you need a payday, motherf*****. Come get it.”