Luke Rockhold Details ‘Nightmare’ Injuries And Targets UFC 232 Return

It’s not been a good few weeks for former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

Rockhold was expected to face Chris Weidman in the co-main event of UFC 230 on Nov. 3, but just a few days ago it was announced that Rockhold had been forced out of the bout following a slew of different injuries.

Speaking for the first time since that announcement with Submission Radio, Rockhold explained the series of events that led to him being pulled from the bout.

“The leg injury has been a f***ing nightmare, a complete nightmare,” Rockhold said. “It was a misinformed surgery and unfortunately I was misinformed by a couple of doctors. I wouldn’t say malpractice but it was a pretty idiotic move to open me up on the shin where they did. It seemed like superficial surgery and that’s why I went ahead with it. Ever since I’ve regretted it.

“I really can’t make any contact with it. It’s on the blade of my shin and I was in jeopardy with so many things with this leg if I was to go out there and this thing opens up and the infection gets into the bone. It’s just not worth it. I didn’t kick the whole camp, I didn’t use that leg to kick so unfortunately after Vegas I got an infection on the way back home.

“I thought the leg was going to do better and I’d be ready to go, but it backtracked and opened up and was red and inflamed again,” He continued. “It was dangerous because the skin has to build up. Anyway, I was trying to heal that up and then I broke my nose in a grappling exchange after I got caught with a wild elbow. I was working around both of those two things and then on top of that I was switching my stance to work around that and sparring with a cage around my face.

“I then ended up spraining my knee trying to force that. I wanted to work around every angle I could but that was the last straw and my coaches who had been trying to push me out of the fight for some time, come the sprain knee that was it.”

Whilst still battling to get back to full fitness, Rockhold isn’t ruling out a return by the end of the year. UFC 232 will be headlined by a main event pitting Jon Jones against Alexander Gustafsson and Rockhold fancies a a spot on that fight card.

“Next year? We’ll see man,” Rockhold said. “I’m in shape and I don’t want to lose it, I’ve done so much to get to this point and like I said, I’m going to be on my body, on my diet and take care of my body and cross train. I’ve got to avoid contact on my leg for the next few weeks, maybe a month, but I’m assuming it’s going to be like a month of no contact and the same goes for my nose really. I think a month between all these things, if I really just focus and not set myself back, I should be in the heat of things, there’s a chance that if something plays out, December 29 is not a bad idea.

“I also know there’s a big card come the beginning of new year on ESPN, we will see how it all plays out. I’ll be on my game and I won’t be taking that much time off. I just got to get through this leg and like I said, I just got to let this thing heal and when I know that I can trust this thing and train with it and kick with it, then I can start a training camp and commit to a fight.”

Watch the full interview: