Jake Paul got a win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a boxing match. Despite this big win, ex-middleweight king Luke Rockhold does not think this makes him a real fighter.
Rockhold has seen it all when it comes to fighting, seeing the highs of a UFC middleweight title, and the lows of losing three of his last four by knockout. So he had a pretty good idea of what he was looking at when he saw the younger Paul brother get a win over Woodley.
Speaking in a recent interview, Luke explained that he feels like Jake is a fairly decent boxer, all things considered. That being said, he says boxing does not equal fighting, so Jake is not a real fighter.
“Jake’s tough. Real in what sense? Real, he’s not a professional boxer. He’s a tough kid, and he showed he can withstand and take some shots and keep going,” Rockhold said.
“If anything, he’s a decent boxer. Fighting’s different. Boxing is not fighting, we all have to identify that. You put on gloves onto two guys, to dumb down their version of combative skills to overcome each other, to perform. Boxing is not fighting. Boxing is a performance, it’s a dumbed down version of fighting…
“He’s not a real fighter, no he’s not a real fighter,” Rockhold continued. “If he wants to be a real fighter he can step in the game with four ounce gloves and we can do business, but that’s not the case.”
Luke Rockhold Doesn’t Like Sean Strickland
As for his own fighting career, Luke Rockhold is set to return for his first fight in over two years, when he faces Sean Strickland at UFC 268. It is safe to say that he is not a fan of the man he will be facing this November.
Luke explained that he does not care for Sean’s antics of saying he is willing to kill people in the cage. He says that people like this should not serve as representatives for mixed martial arts, or the UFC.
“I really don’t like him. I don’t like the way he treats people in the gym. He’s just a guy that goes out there and says that he wants to kill somebody in the ring, that he’d be happy to kill somebody. We’re all professionals here, and to have that thought process is just the stupidest thing I ever heard,” Rockhold said.
“I’ve seen him in the gym, I’ve seen how he treats people, and he’s just not someone I want to see representing the sport.”
What do you think of these remarks from Luke Rockhold? How do you see his matchup with Sean Strickland going down?
