Rockhold would not touch UFC 199 with a barge pole.
Fresh from his middleweight title win over Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold has been doing the media rounds.
The Californian dominated the former champ to claim the belt, at UFC 194, in a fantastic scene-setter for the main event – Conor McGregor’s 13-second demolition of Jose Aldo.
Rockhold has now told MMA Junkie Radio that he would be happy to share the bill with The Notorious again.
Anything to avoid headlining UFC 199, which may well be couched between huge UFC 198 [possibly in New York] and UFC 200 [Las Vegas] fight cards.
Asked when he envisioned fighting next, Rockhold replied, “May, June or July, but UFC 200 would be cool.
“I don’t want to be on UFC 199, I’ll tell you that. The hype for 200 will be so big it will take away from 199. Who wants to be on 199? I want to be on 198 or 200. That would be cool, even if I’m not main eventing.”
Rockhold and Weidman’s fight was sold as a co-main but there was no doubt that most fight fans were tuning in, and showing up, to see if McGregor could live up to the hype.
Whether he gives Weidman a rematch, takes on Yoel Romero or – his preferred option – fights Vitor Belfort, the American is open to sharing most of the spotlight with the Dubliner.
He commented, “If Weidman’s ready to go, we can do that. If Yoel is the fight they want, I’ll pretty much have to be a co-main event to somebody. It better be Ronda Rousey or Conor McGregor (headlining).”
UFC 200 it is so.
