UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold indicated that he will not fight Chris Weidman until he has a new contract. The rumored rematch between the two was set for one of the big events this fall at UFC 230 in New York but Rockhold is making a stand for better pay.
Rockhold spoke with reporters at an event with his sponsor American Ethanol in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He indicated that he had to be shown the right contract. “Business is good,” Rockhold said inferring that his other interests outside of the Octagon were lucrative enough that a UFC fight was not a necessity.
Rockhold seemed to intimate that athletes have learned how to game the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and he does not like it when fighters like Brock Lesnar or Jon Jones are able to be inserted into the main event after a long time away.
H/t: MMA Junkie
Payout Perspective:
You might recall that Rockhold agreed to fight Yoel Romero despite Romero not making weight at UFC 221. He lost via TKO and his chance for a middleweight title shot. So, you can see why Rockhold may be wanting more money to get back into the Octagon. Rockhold is playing it close to the vest as he indicated that he’s almost ready for a return to fighting after being injured but won’t fight without it making sense. He stated that he was not “going to lose money fighting” which goes to say that he’s been able to make money outside of the Octagon. Certainly, it’s a good thing for Rockhold to establish other business ventures that don’t include getting punched in the face. While it seems that his competitive fire is still there for fighting, he is sick of the politics in the promotion. I think that Rockhold does come back against Weidman and that his interview is just venting his frustration.
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