Rockhold lost that fight to Belfort, and many saw him as a good Strikeforce fighter, but someone who couldn’t hold onto the UFC level.
They were wrong, and it was good for Rockhold to stick with criticism whenever he could as he bounced back to pick up successive wins over Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch, Michael Bisping and Lyoto Machida. All four wins were finishes, and he nabbed three post-fight performance bonuses in the process. Oh, he was UFC level, okay, and he became world champion in his next fight, stopping Chris Weidman in the fourth round to win the UFC middleweight title.
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It should have been the start of a long reign and the best days of his career, but bad luck, losses and injuries kept him from it all. He lost his title to former foe Bisping in a stunning upset in June 2016, came back with a win over David Branch, but three losses ended his career.
“I’ve been through so much in the last few years,” an emotional Rockhold told Joe Rogan in the Octagon last Saturday night after taking off his gloves for the last time. “I can’t do this anymore. I gave it my all and…I’m a fucking old man.
