Former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold recently appeared on Submission Radio and shared his thoughts on Brock Lesnar, who he wants to fight next, when he’d like to return, the light heavyweight scene, what would make him consider returning to middleweight and his friend Daniel Cormier.
You can check out the full interview in the video player above, and the following highlights have been issued.
What went through Luke’s mind when he saw Brock Lesnar running in and pushing DC after his win at UFC 226
“I was trying to judge the situation because I was about to pull a Diaz brother and jump on his back and kick Brock in the head.
“I saw Brock enter the arena as we were getting staged and ready for DC, so I knew something was up.”
Why Luke was about to “pull a Diaz brother”:
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“I was trying to judge Brock, I was trying to judge Brock. Brock was coming in hot and pushing DC but DC kept his composure and he was trying to laugh it off, so… (laughs) I’m not a big fan of Brock and his style, so I wouldn’t mind taking a leg home.”
Why Luke doesn’t like Brock:
“That he cheats. That he was exempt. That he was exempt from (USADA testing) so that he could cheat. And the fact they bring him back after that positive test and treat him like a king, that’s everything that’s wrong with the sport.
“I understand DC’s point of view. He wants the money, I wish him the best, I want him to kick Brock’s ass and do that, but the fact that this sport promotes Brock Lesnar coming back off of a positive steroid test after they exempt him before the fight and he still tested positive. You don’t see that happening in any other sport and it’s sad to see it happen in this sport.”
Read Also: Big Update On When Lesnar Will Be Returning to WWE TV
Luke’s early prediction for Lesnar vs. Cormier:
“We’ll see if it happens or not, but DC wins the fight fairly easy. Brock runs forward, he tries to double leg him, DC stuffs it, gets back up, whether he gets taken down or not and he starts to throw hands on him and probably falls the same way as Stipe.”
Why Luke isn’t confident that Lesnar even makes it to the fight:
“You never know. Brock’s not even cleared to fight until next year. I just… it’s sad that we talks about this, that whole public and everyone gets behind this shit. It just pisses me off. I’m fed up with this shit. I don’t like talking about cheaters.”
With Yoel Romero eyeing a move to 205, if Luke wants a rematch:
“Trust me, I’ve seen Yoel and I’ve been in there and I know that given the weight cut and how I was affected, I see Yoel and 205 makes a lot more sense. I’d love to run that one back sometime. So, we’ll see how things work out. But that’s definitely a fight I’d love to get.”
On not rushing back to fight too soon before he clears his head:
“Of course. I want to be healthy, I want to be ready to go, I want to get everything else behind me. I’ve got a lot of things going on, with selling my house and some other businesses and so I’d like to set up that side and fight with a clear head and be ready, have a full camp, get into it, be in shape, be ready to go by the time I have a camp.
“I think given where my leg’s at right now and where things are moving, I think by the end of year sounds pretty good and I think there’s good potential for Madison Square Garden.”
On moving forward at light heavyweight now that it seems like Daniel Cormier won’t return to the weightclass:
“Yeah. I mean, it could be. DC has been going back and forth. I don’t think he really knows what he wants at this time. I think that as a team and as coaches, we know where we want DC, but DC’s just, I think he’s enjoying the limelight a little bit and taking his time. He’s playing games with different people, I’m not sure where he’s going with all this. I don’t know. I’m gonna take it by ear. I want big fights and there’s not a lot of big fights at light heavyweight right now and things needs to iron themselves out. I like the Gustafsson fight, it was a very appealing fight, intriguing and it was motivating. I can’t say the rest for most of the guys in the division. I want something that’s big, on a big stage and makes sense. So, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens and I’ll be ready to go.”
On Jon Jones being his biggest challenge in the 205 division:
“Yeah, he’s always been an appealing fight. Jon’s one of the best to ever do it and we’ll see. You know, he’s got his own issues too. Like I said, he just tested positive too, so he’s coming back off multiple failed tests. I don’t put him in the same category as Brock, but they’re still a lot to work with, you know, no matter what. I just… I’m not one to comment on it, but when the time comes, the time comes. If he’s clear and he’s clean and we’re in the division (we’ll) definitely fight. You know, I like big fights.”
Eyeing the winner of Gustafsson and Oezdemir:
“Of course. I’m watching every fight. Every fight at middleweight, every contender fight at middleweight or light heavyweight I’m watching. It’s an open book right now and we’ll see where everything falls.”
The only thing that would bring him back to middleweight:
“Another title shot.
“It’s number one contender to a title fight. It’s gotta be something along that fashion. It’s gotta be a big fight on a big stage like Madison Square Garden. You never know. So, it just depends on where things fall and how it all plays out. But I want to work my way up into… I don’t like leaving on this note at 185 pounds, but I am a lot different fighter when you put on that 10-15 pounds. The weight cut is devastating. It takes all your power away and it has changed my game a little bit and, you know, I’m gonna have to really reassess. If I go back down to that weight I’m gonna have to reassess the weight cut. There was a lot of complications again going into this fight. The whole Perth commission and everything with the weigh-ins and then the morning fight, Yoel missing weight and everything, the fluctuation of flying to Australia.”