Daniel Cormier rules out Luke Rockhold's retirement hypothesis: 'He'll fight again'

L.Rockhold, D.Cormier and C.Velasquez after a training session Photo: Instagram

With Luke Rockhold's return to the Octagon delayed after herniated disc, former UFC champion Daniel Cormier came to the defense of his training partner. In a statement given on his podcast, 'DC' expressed his frustration over his friend's injury, but believes that the former middleweight leader (up to 83,9kg) will return to fight soon.

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“I think he will fight again. I know what a herniated disc feels like. As a person who has dealt with back problems, I know how bad it can be. But I also know that Luke is young and fit. He's not over 40, like I was when it happened to me. I believe he will be able to work to be in fighting shape again. I'm disappointed because I was excited to see him compete again and I thought this was a favorable matchup for him. But I believe we will see him fight again”, said ‘DC’.

Luke's last fight was in UFC 239, in July 2019. At the time, the North American was knocked out by the Polish Jan Blachowicz in the second round. The fighter has an MMA record of 16 triumphs and five setbacks.