Luke Rockhold accuses Khamzat Chimaev of refusing to fight and says: 'It was smart of him'

L. Rockhold hasn't fought since 2019, when he was beaten by J. Blachowicz. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

With a fight against Paulo borrachinha protocols for UFC 277, which takes place on July 30, Luke Rockhold decided to provoke another athlete from the company's squad. Without fighting for almost three years, the former middleweight champion (up to 83,9kg) decided to provoke Khamzat Shimaev, whom he accuses of having refused a confrontation.

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“Khamzat didn't accept the fight, by the way, we were ready to fight. He preferred to stay at welterweight (up to 77kg.). I think it was a smart decision on his part at this point,” said Luke, in an interview with ‘ESPN’.

UFC middleweight champion between 2015 and 2016, Rockhold will resume his career after almost two years of inactivity. In his last commitment, the North American was severely knocked out by Jan Blachowicz, in a failed test in the light heavyweight division (up to 93kg.).

For his comeback fight, Luke will face Paulo borrachinha. Standing out in the under-83,9kg division, the Brazilian accumulates two consecutive stumbles, and seeks to get back on the path to victory.

If he overcomes the Brazilian, Rockhold will be able to resume a prominent place in the division led by Israel adesanya. Today, the athlete is not included in the top 15 in the category.

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