Luke Rockhold Returns, Agrees To UFC 268 Bout With Sean Strickland

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has announced his return for a while, and, so far, the only top fighter willing to risk their reputation is Sean Strickland.

On Tuesday, UFC President Dana White said Rockhold offered Strickland to be his return fight; it was reportedly accepted on Wednesday. The pay-per-view event is being targeted to happen at UFC 268 on November 16 at an unconfirmed location in New York City.

Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) will return to the Octagon — and the middleweight division — against Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) at UFC 268 on Nov. 6, sources confirm to ESPN. First reported by @aaronbronsteter.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 4, 2021

The last time Rockhold (16-5) graced the octagon was UFC 239, but was defeated by current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in July 2019. The 36-year-old’s last earned victory was at UFC Fight Night 116 in 2017. He lost three out of his last four battles — all of them knockout losses.

The former Strikeforce champion then took 2020 off due to recovery from multiple injuries.

Strickland (24-3) is currently a No. 8 ranked contender of the middleweight division.

He also returned from injury and recently won all four battles. The last time he was in the octagon was with Uriah Hall where Strickland dominated in all five rounds.

A welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington is set to headline UFC 268.