Luke Rockhold has taken a few shots at ‘The Sweet Science’.
After a long MMA career which saw him win the UFC middleweight title, Rockhold is stepping into the ring for his next fight — the bare-knuckle boxing ring, that is. The former champ will be making his BKFC debut against ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry on April 29th.
‘A Little Insight’ From Alan Belcher
Ahead of BKFC 41, Rockhold has got some advice from the promotion’s heavyweight champion and fellow UFC veteran Alan Belcher on what to expect from boxing with no padded gloves on.
“Alan [Belcher] and I have mutual respect for years and I just wanted to get a little insight on what is bare-knuckle fighting, cause it’s definitely different,” Rockhold told Submission Radio.
“There’s a lot to try to understand and how to approach it. So, it’s always good to gather as much information as possible. It’s not smart to go at things blind in life. [Belcher’s advice was] to just be precise.”
Rockhold Criticizes Boxing
Adding on to Belcher’s insight, Rockhold would unexpectedly rip the sport of boxing. He cited it was a ‘dumbed down’ version of fighting because of the size of their gloves which stems from 8oz all the way up to 18oz.
“Boxing is a game for p*ssies a lot of the time. Bare knuckle is different,” Rockhold continued. “Changes, it shows you don’t have big f*cking catcher’s mitts and you’re not getting hit with these big pads and dumbing down the sport.
“You have to execute and you have to hit and you have to kill. So, just don’t aim for the top of the head, aim for the neck, aim for the face, aim for the chin.”
Rockhold On Perry: ‘He’s A Ruthless Little F*ck And I Love It’
While Rockhold doesn’t have much love for boxing, the 38 year-old has some respect for Mike Perry and his fighting style — even though he plans on beating it later this month.
“I think he’s looking better,” Rockhold said of Perry. “I think this is more favorable to him, his style, I guess. It works for him, but it’s about to come to an end. I just don’t see his style [beating mine]. I think he’s hungry. He is a dog and he comes forward and he can take big shots and he can deliver. He’s a ruthless little f*ck and I love it. That’s why I took this fight.”
