“All respect but I thought he would fight anyone” – Khamzat Chimaev reportedly turned down a main event vs Luke Rockhold

“All respect but I thought he would fight anyone” – Khamzat Chimaev reportedly turned down a main event vs Luke Rockhold

Khamzat Chimaev and Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold, the former middleweight champion has not fought in almost 2 years. His fans have been eagerly looking forward to his return. In a major development- according to popular MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, Rockhold has hinted at a possible comeback to the Octagon this year, end of summer to be precise.

Helwani also brought in fresh news from Chechen. Khamzat Chimaev, who is also aiming to return to the Octagon as soon as possible, had turned down a possible fight with Luke Rockhold.

‘Luke Rockhold tells me he was offered a main event‘

Rockhold told Helwani that he was offered to fight Chimaev in a main event on the 28th of August, which was turned down by ‘The Borz’

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Helwani’s tweet read, “Luke Rockhold tells me he was offered a main event vs. Khamzat Chimaev on Aug. 28. He said he accepted but just got word Chimaev declined because he’s staying at 170. He also accepted a 3-rounder vs Chimaev on Aug. 7. ‘All respect but I thought he would fight anyone,’ he said.“

Helwani then tweeted, “Rockhold is hoping to fighting by the end of the summer, he said. Wants a top-ranked 185er.”

He then added, “To be clear: The Chimaev-Rockhold fight would have been at 185, obviously.“

Chimaev, burst on to the scene when he went 3-0 up in the UFC in no time. He made his debut in July 2020, and by September he had three wins, all finishes (including one submission). However, he was hit back due to coronavirus that affected him severely. The Borz had lingering effects for almost four to five months, and even considered retiring from the sport. But now, he is good to go.

Rockhold, on the other hand will be gutted that Chimaev turned down a fight with him. The expected reason is that Chimaev recently expressed his desire to fight in the 170lbs division and there is no chance Rockhold would come down to the welterweight division.

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