Luke Rockhold Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

What's next for Luke Rockhold after BKFC loss to Mike Perry?

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 5/4/23

Though his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut ended in a second-round TKO loss to Mike Perry, Luke Rockhold proved he can still hold his own in a combat sports ring.

Despite suffering a few teeth-shattering punches from Perry, Rockhold suggested that his next stage may be different, but he’s not done fighting yet.

“You can check bare knuckle off the list,” he said in a video the day after the fight. “It’s some crazy s---. Those little knuckles got me square on the front two [teeth]. …I’m not done. Some gloves would be nice though.”

Luke Rockhold's teeth were mangled at the hands of Mike Perry in the #BKFC41 main event.

Full story: https://t.co/HvE146bmUk pic.twitter.com/ZRZGSObu65
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 30, 2023

At age 38, and with four straight losses, does Rockhold still have a place in mixed martial arts?

He severed ties with the UFC in January following an 11-fight stint that included a six-month reign as middleweight champion. Rockhold expressed interest in possibly fighting for a handful of other MMA promotions, including Bellator, ONE Championship and the Professional Fighters League.

It could be argued he still has drawing power for any of those second-tier MMA promotions given his resume — one that included wins over five former UFC or Strikeforce champions.

Despite his age, Rockhold still puts on entertaining fights. Only three of his 22 professional fights have gone to a decision, 14 of his 16 wins were finishes, and he won a Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonus in five of his 11 UFC bouts.

Rockhold also had one of the more impressive runs in the UFC — handing an in-his-prime Chris Weidman the first loss of his pro career, becoming the first fighter to submit former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and just the second fighter to submit Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Lyoto Machida.

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