Luke Skyler Rockhold (born October 17, 1984) is an American retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. He is best known for his time in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), where he competed in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

and

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion. A two-time world champion, Rockhold also won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, he defended the title twice and was the last man to hold the belt before

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

was officially absorbed by the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

in 2013. Rockhold is also an avid surfer, skateboarder, and a professional model having modeled at the

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

and as the face of

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

's "Polo Blue" fragrance.

Background

Rockhold was born on October 17, 1984, in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

from an athletic family. Growing up, Luke and his older brother, pro- surfer Matt Rockhold, surfed their local breaks together. His father was a

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

player in Europe and his mother was an avid tennis player. Luke started training in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

when he was 6 years old but quit upon turning ten. When he entered the seventh grade, he joined his school's

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

team and stuck with the sport all throughout his time at

Soquel High School Soquel High School is a high school in Soquel, California, located on Old San Jose Road. It has 1,200 students and was established in 1962. The school is operated by the Santa Cruz City High School District. The school mascot is the Knights. Aca ...

while taking jiu-jitsu classes. Rockhold's great grandfather was a full blood Native American. He is also of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

descent. Rockhold tried wrestling for a local community college but decided to take jiu-jitsu on full-time. After winning a few BJJ tournaments, he decided to enter mixed martial arts. In 2006, a friend invited Rockhold to train at the

American Kickboxing Academy The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a martial arts gym based in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA). In 2014, AKA opened the ''AKA Thailand'' gym in Phuket, Thailand. Prominent trainers inc ...

(AKA) in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

. His raw talent and kicking displays immediately caught the eye of AKA head coach Javier Mendez, who touted Rockhold as a potential future champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In July 2007, Rockhold made his professional debut against Mike Martinez for the ''Melee on the Mountain'' promotion. Rockhold dominated the fight and won via armbar submission midway through the first round. In his second fight for the promotion, in November 2007, Rockhold was defeated by Tony Rubalcava via TKO.

Strikeforce

Up-and-coming promotion

called and offered Rockhold a fight on their '' Strikeforce: Young Guns II'' card. Rockhold looked impressive in his debut, forcing his opponent to submit from punches. Impressed with his performance, Strikeforce decided to give him another fight. The second fight took place on the '' Strikeforce: Destruction'' card, which Rockhold won via submission. At '' Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz'', Rockhold won his third consecutive fight. Rockhold was given a step up in competition when he fought

Cory Devela Cory Devela (born August 5, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. Background Devela began wrestling in elementary school and continued through middle and high school. After graduating, Devela attended Yakima Vall ...

at '' Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg''. Even though he was the underdog going into the fight, he won that fight in just 30 seconds with his third rear-naked choke submission in a row. At '' Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Evangelista'', Rockhold defeated ''

The Ultimate Fighter 7 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike, after ''UFC Fight Nigh ...

'' contestant,

Jesse Taylor Jesse Marcus Taylor (born January 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was ...

. The fight improved his record to 5–0 under the Strikeforce banner. In February 2010, Rockhold defeated another ''Ultimate Fighter 7'' finalist, Paul Bradley, and won via TKO (knees to the body). The fight took place at '' Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi'' in

. With the win, Rockhold hoped to fight against tougher and well-known fighters. In addition to the win, Rockhold was announced as a playable character for the ''

EA Sports MMA ''EA Sports MMA'' is a 2010 sports video game which was developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 19, 2010, in North America and October 22, 2010, everywhere else. Online serv ...

'' video game. Rockhold was scheduled to fight

Matt Lindland Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970), also known as The Law, is an American retired mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for t ...

at '' Strikeforce: San Jose'' but pulled out a few weeks before the fight due to a shoulder injury. Rockhold was expected to face former title contender, Tim Kennedy, at '' Strikeforce 32''; however, for unknown reasons, Rockhold was removed from the bout.

Winning the middleweight title

After more than a year and a half hiatus from fighting due to injuries, Rockhold stepped into the cage to fight

champion

Ronaldo Souza Ronaldo Souza dos Santos (born December 7, 1979), nicknamed " Jacare" (), is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist and submission grappler who competed for UFC from 2013 to 2021. A highly regarded grappler on the world s ...

on September 10, 2011. He won the fight via unanimous decision (50–45, 48–47, and 48–47) to become the new Strikeforce Middleweight champion. For his first title defense, Rockhold faced

Keith Jardine Keith Jardine (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce. Jardine was known for upset victories in bouts he took at short notice against highly rated fight ...

at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine on January 7, 2012. Rockhold won the fight via TKO in the first round. In his second title defense, Rockhold faced Tim Kennedy in the main event of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy on July 14, 2012. During the weigh-ins for the bout on July 13, Rockhold came in a half-pound overweight. Rockhold cut the extra weight in the allotted two-hour limit. He successfully defended his title for a second time, winning the fight via unanimous decision (49–46, 49–46, and 49–46). For his third title defense, Rockhold was expected to face challenger

Lorenz Larkin Lorenz Larkin (born September 3, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009, Larkin formerly competed for Strikeforce and the Ulti ...

at Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir on November 3, 2012 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. However, Rockhold was forced to withdraw from the show due to injury and the event was later cancelled. The fight was rumored to be rescheduled on January 12, 2013. However, Rockhold never agreed to the bout, citing a lingering shoulder injury.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In January 2013, the Strikeforce organization was closed by its parent company Zuffa. A list of fighters scheduled to be brought over to the

was released in mid-January and Rockhold was one of the fighters listed. Rockhold faced perennial multi-divisional contender

Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...

on May 18, 2013 in the main event at

UFC on FX 8 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round, after being caught with a spinning heel kick to the face. Rockhold was expected to face Tim Boetsch on October 19, 2013 at

UFC 166 ''UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos III'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 19, 2013, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background The main event was a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between the current champion Cain Velas ...

. However, Rockhold was forced out of the bout, citing a knee injury, and he was replaced by

C.B. Dollaway Clarence Byron "C. B." Dollaway (born August 10, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2006, he formerly fought in the UFC and was a finalist ...

. Rockhold faced

Costas Philippou Constantinos Philippou ( gr, Κωνσταντίνος Φιλίππου, born November 29, 1979) is a retired Greek-Cypriot mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the UFC's Middleweight division. Early life Philippou was born in Limassol o ...

on January 15, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 35 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 35'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 15, 2014, at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1, and was ...

. He won via TKO in the first round after dropping Philippou with a kick to the body. The performance also earned Rockhold a $50,000 ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus. Rockhold eventually faced Tim Boetsch on April 26, 2014 at

UFC 172 ''UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 26, 2014, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The event was released on DVD on July 29, 2014. The DVD was dist ...

. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Rockhold faced

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...

on November 8, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 55 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 55'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on November 8, 2014. Background This event was the fourth event that ...

. He won the fight in the second round, after dropping Bisping with a head kick and then applying a guillotine choke submission. The win earned Rockhold his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. On April 18, 2015, Rockhold faced former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Lyoto Machida (born 30 May 1978), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka, who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light ...

UFC on Fox 15 ''UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 15'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 18, 2015, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background The event was the sixth event that the UFC has hosted in New ...

. Rockhold defeated Machida in a one-sided fight via submission in the second round. Rockhold also earned his second consecutive ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award.

Winning the UFC middleweight title

Rockhold next faced

Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...

for the

UFC Middleweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on December 12, 2015 at

UFC 194 ''UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was originally scheduled to take place on Dece ...

. Rockhold won by technical knockout in the fourth round and became the 7th middleweight champion in UFC history. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors. In the post-fight interview, Rockhold illuminated his struggles prior to the fight: he had been battling a staph infection and was on antibiotics, which made him exhausted during the later rounds of the fight. Being a Santa Cruz native and becoming the UFC Middleweight Champion, his hometown

, proclaimed December 18, as ''Luke Rockhold Day'' crediting his victory and achievements.

Post championship

A rematch with Weidman was scheduled to take place on June 4, 2016 at

UFC 199 ''UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 4, 2016, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background While this was the first time the organization has held an event at the venue, it was the fifth time that U ...

. However, Weidman pulled out of the fight on May 17 with a cervical disc herniation, and he was replaced by

. His title match against Bisping ended in the first round when Rockhold was dropped with a left hook and finished with a flurry of punches against the cage. This result was considered by many in MMA media as one of the biggest upsets in the UFC title fight history, Bisping being a huge underdog because he took the fight in only 10 days and had been submitted by Rockhold 18 months earlier. Rockhold was expected to face

in a rematch on November 27, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 101 ''UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 101'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 27, 2016, at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Back ...

. However, the pairing was cancelled on November 1, after Rockhold was ruled out of the contest after sustaining an undisclosed injury. As a result, Souza was also removed from the card. Rockhold faced former two-time WSOF champion David Branch on September 16, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 116 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 116'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 16, 2017 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Backg ...

after being away from the sport for almost 15 months due to injuries. He won the fight by forcing Branch to tap out from his punches in the second round. Rockhold was scheduled to fight on February 10, 2018, at

UFC 221 ''UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 11, 2018, at Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia. Background While the UFC has hosted 11 previous events ...

against UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker. On January 13, 2018, it was reported that Whittaker pulled out from his bout against Rockhold at UFC 221 due to a serious condition of staph infection. He was replaced by

Yoel Romero Yoel Romero Palacio (born April 30, 1977) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for Bellator MMA. Romero formerly competed in the Middleweight division ...

in a bout for the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship. The winner of this bout would then face Whittaker for a title unification bout. At the

weigh-ins, Romero weighed in at 187.7 pounds, 2.7 pounds over the middleweight championship limit of 185.0 pounds. As a result, Romero was ineligible to win the championship even if he won the fight, while Rockhold would have received the Interim Championship if he had won. Romero was also fined 30% of his purse, which went to Rockhold. After a slow start, Romero knocked Rockhold out in the third round. Rockhold was briefly linked to a light heavyweight bout with

Alexander Gustafsson Alexander Gustafsson (born 15 January 1987) is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist. Gustafsson currently competes in the light heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gustafsson spent a major part of his MMA ...

on August 4, 2018 at

UFC 227 ''UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2'' was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championshi ...

. However, Rockhold later re-injured his leg in training and the fight was scuttled. A rematch with

Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...

was expected to take place on November 3, 2018 at

UFC 230 ''UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 3, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship bo ...

. However, on October 19, 2018, it was reported Rockhold withdrew from the bout, citing an injury, and he was replaced by

Move to light heavyweight

In December 2018, Rockhold announced he will be moving up to light heavyweight due to ever-increasingly harder weight cuts that have led to numerous injuries during training. Rockhold's light heavyweight debut took place against

Jan Błachowicz Jan Maciej Błachowicz (; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ ...

on July 6, 2019 at

UFC 239 ''UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light ...

. Rockhold lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

2021 and beyond

After a two year lay off, Rockhold was expected to face

Sean Strickland Sean Thomas Strickland (born February 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2008, he is the former King of ...

in a middleweight bout on November 6, 2021 at

UFC 268 ''UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 6, 2021, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. Background A UFC Welterwe ...

. However, on October 11 Rockhold withdrew due to a

herniated disc Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...

. Rockhold was scheduled to face

Paulo Costa Paulo Henrique Costa (born 21 April 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #6 in the UFC middleweight ...

on July 30, 2022, at

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweight Cha ...

. However, the bout was postponed to August 20, at

UFC 278 ''UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 20, 2022, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the promotion' ...

. Rockhold lost the fight via unanimous decision. The fight earned him the'' Fight of the Night'' award. Rockhold retired from mixed martial arts after the fight. Although Rockhold retired from MMA competition, he has been vocal about his interest in pursuing a career in boxing.

Other ventures

Modeling career

Rockhold signed up for the New York model management agency, Soul Artist Management, the same agency that found fellow UFC fighter

Alan Jouban Alan Michael Joubanhttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2016_Results/07-07-16MMA.pdf (born November 25, 1982) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A profess ...

and jump started the career of

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film ''Step Up (film), Step Up''. He gained wider attention for ...

. Luke has since had his first spread released as a professional model. With his modeling career quickly picking up steam, he revealed that he would have no problem taking an indefinite hiatus from the Octagon in order to pursue his newly found modeling career. He has also modeled at the

Face of Ralph Lauren cologne

In 2018 Rockhold became the new face of

's "Polo Blue" cologne fragrance.

''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' reality show

Rockhold was featured as a guest on ''

The Millionaire Matchmaker ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' was an American reality television series on Bravo that premiered on January 22, 2008, and is hosted by Patti Stanger. ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' follows Patti Stanger, owner of the Beverly Hills-based "Millio ...

'' reality show on Bravo TV in 2015. On the show he dated mixologist, Kara. Rockhold departed the show after asking Kara an inappropriate question. He defended himself by saying that the comment was a scripted joke and that the editor dubbed it in the scene later on.

Personal life

Rockhold dated

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominated singer and actor

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

for a few months in late 2016. The duo made their first public appearance while attending

UFC 205 ''UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In what was described by UFC president Dana White as ...

together, at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in New York. They split in January 2017.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs.

Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...

and

** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs.

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(Two times) vs.

and

** Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (One time; Last) **Two successful title defenses **Tied most finishes in Strikeforce history (7) **Most submissions in Strikeforce history (5) *Sherdog.com ** 2015 All-Violence First Team **2014 Submission of the Year vs. Tim Boetsch ** 2014 All-Violence First Team *Fight Matrix.com ** 2015 Upset of the Year vs.

Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...

** 2015 Most Noteworthy Match of the Year vs.

Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Ji ...

**2007

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Jiu ...

World Jiu-Jitsu Championships Purple Belt No-Gi Gold Medalist **2007

World Jiu-Jitsu Championships Blue Belt Gold Medalist **2006

Pan American Championships Blue Belt Silver Medalist

Mixed martial arts record

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Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

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New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

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Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, KO (spinning heel kick and punches) , UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city was originally named jus ...

, Santa Catarina, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Tim Kennedy , Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 ,

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Paul Bradley , TKO (knees to the body) , Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 , San Jose, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:42 ,

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Cory Devela , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Buck Meredith , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 , San Jose, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Nik Theotikos , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Destruction , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:06 , San Jose, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Josh Neal , TKO (submission to punches) , Strikeforce: Young Guns II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:49 , San Jose, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Tony Rubalcava , TKO (punches) , Melee on the Mountain , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:46 , Friant, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Martinez , Submission (armbar) , Melee on the Mountain , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 , Friant,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States ,

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References

External links

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockhold, Luke 1984 births Living people American male sport wrestlers American male judoka American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American people of Native American descent American Muay Thai practitioners People from Santa Cruz County, California American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Strikeforce (mixed martial arts) champions Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Strikeforce

Winning the middleweight title

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Winning the UFC middleweight title

Post championship

Move to light heavyweight

2021 and beyond

Other ventures

Modeling career

Face of Ralph Lauren cologne

''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' reality show

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Mixed martial arts record

Pay-per-view bouts

See also

References

External links