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Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold made a successful return to combat sports earlier today (Sat., April 20, 2024) at Karate Combat 45 from Dubai, U.A.E., stopping veteran kickboxer Joe Schilling with a nasty third-round knockout (punches).

This was a bizarre booking to say the least, but one that sparked the interest of mixed martial arts (MMA) who remember just how good Rockhold was. The former UFC champion hasn’t captured a professional win in combat sports since a TKO victory over David Branch all the way back in 2017. This includes a three-fight losing skid to end his UFC career and a failed attempt to defeat Mike Perry in bareknuckle boxing.

On Saturday, Rockhold dusted the gloves off for a matchup with Schilling at Karate Combat 45. By taking away Rockhold’s ability to grapple the playing field was more or less even. Schilling is certainly a shell of his former self, but he can still crack. It was going to be an interesting watch for fight fans.

While the action was back-and-forth for the majority of the main event scrap it was Rockhold who pulled through with the finishing blow. He connected on a huge right hook in the third round that connected flush and dropped Schilling where he stood. Rockhold followed up with a few ground-and-pound shots before the referee peeled him off.

Check it out below:

Stick with Mania for more Karate Combat 45 results and coverage.

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Luke Rockhold is finally back in the win column.

The former UFC middleweight champion scored a third-round knockout of Joe Schilling on Saturday in the main event of Karate Combat 45 in Dubai, marking his first combat sports win since a 2017 knockout of David Branch.

Rockhold, 39, kept Schilling guessing early by mixing his kicks with his takedowns, however Schilling seized momentum in the second round, badly bloodying Rockhold’s nose with a nasty right hand. But Rockhold maintained his composure and ultimately found his mark with a clean right hook that dropped Schilling midway through the third round, followed by a few ground-and-pound punches to seal the deal.

Watch Rockhold’s handiwork below. (Jump to 4:32:49 mark.)

“Three weeks’ notice, another infection I got this time, it wasn’t the greatest setup, but hey, we got the job, we got the job done,” Rockhold said post-fight.

“Just getting my feet wet, man. Just trying to get back in the game. This is great right here. It’s an interesting place. F***, bare-knuckle to this, walking into new arenas — you’ve got to test yourself in different ways, man. Never get too comfortable.”

Long considered one of the best MMA middleweights in the world, Rockhold exited the UFC in 2022 off a three-fight losing streak to Yoel Romero, Jan Blachowicz, and Paulo Costa. He then signed with BKFC and faced Mike Perry in a marquee bare-knuckle boxing bout, losing via second-round TKO.

Following his victory on Saturday, Rockhold called out fellow former UFC champion Lyoto Machida to face him in Karate Combat next. Rockhold previously defeated Machida via second-round submission in an April 2015 UFC bout.

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Bo Nickal is not concerned with Jordan Burroughs.

The two decorated wrestlers have been at odds since Nickal publicly criticized Burroughs as “a freaking fraud” because of comments the Olympic champion made during the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships broadcast. Speaking from the ESPN commentary booth, Burroughs told UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier that he’d target the injured leg of Penn State’s Carter Starocci if the two meet in Saturday’s Olympic wrestling trials.

Nickal, who won three NCAA titles at Penn State, blasted Burroughs for the remarks, igniting a public back-and-forth with the wrestling legend. A few weeks removed from the incident — and days removed from his UFC 300 win over Cody Brundage — Nickal doubled down on his lack of regrets with how he handled the situation with Burroughs.

“I’m good with everybody,” Nickal said on The MMA Hour. “I think that I didn’t like what he had to say about one of my teammates and close friends, so I let that be known. And it’s him with the problem, so he can’t really do anything to me at the end of the day.”

Nickal said during UFC 300 fight week that one of the most unexpected developments to come from the disagreement was the reception his comments received from the broader wrestling community. Burroughs is a legend of the American scene and one of the most accomplished wrestlers of this era, so Nickal expected to get plenty of push-back about his criticisms of the Olympic gold medalist. That, however, didn’t happen.

Nickal said he actually received “a lot of support” from his fellow wrestlers and people within the community, and that “everybody is kind of on the same page as me.”

Nickal said he even had the chance to address the topic directly with Cormier.

“We talked about it briefly,” Nickal said of UFC 300 fight week. “He was like, ‘Well, I was the one that asked the question,’ and I was like, ‘Well, he’s the one that answered it.’ So if you’re going to answer the question like a big boy, then you’ve got to take the heat too.

“So I didn’t like it. People have their opinion about it and he has his opinion about it. But, for me, if you’re coming at, to me, a family member, a brother, a teammate, then I’m going to step up and say something because I don’t appreciate that, so that’s really all it came down to at the end. It’s not personal. Had it been any other guy in his position that would’ve said something about my teammate, I would have done the same thing.”

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Jorge Masvidal is pleased with the new BMF champion.

This past weekend, Max Holloway claimed the honorary title with a spectacular last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. And Masvidal, who won the inaugural BMF title by stopping Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in 2019, couldn’t be happier about it.

“It’s so awesome that Max has it right now,” Masvidal said on The MMA Hour. “I couldn’t think of a better motherf***** to hold it. That’s a BMF. He understands the code of the BMF. One of us here has to be no longer on their feet when this bell rings.

“It’s the greatest f****** thing ever. And after going through that battle, like you said, he’s up worst-case scenario 3-2. He’s f****** clearly winning the fight in my book. Gaethje had some moments, but he was never in control or winning the fight. So for him to do that, that little point — when that dude points at the ground, whoever the f*** you are, become an Olympic track sprinter. Do the opposite. Don’t f****** engage. He’s everybody’s favorite fighter. He’s all fighters’ favorite fighter. I’ve always loved Max.”

But while Masvidal is a fan of Holloway, the same can’t be said for the man Holloway took the belt off of. Gaethje famously beat Masvidal’s American Top Team teammate Dustin Poirier to claim the BMF title, and afterward, Masvidal suggested a matchup between the two if he returns to MMA. Gaethje didn’t take too kindly to Masvidal’s suggestion, and even took a few shots at Masvidal and his losses to Kamaru Usman. And even though Gaethje no longer has the BMF belt, Masvidal is still interested in a fight.

“The guy is like f****** Homer Simpson,” Masvidal said. “I don’t want to talk too much s*** about him because he just got f****** flat-lined. I’m hoping our paths cross in the UFC. This would be a very good comeback fight for me. Easy fight for me. He’s literally just walking forward, eating shots, no head movement, no nothing. It’s definitely a guy I’d love to f****** stick my fist through.”

Despite the harsh words, Masvidal insists that there’s no beef with Gaethje. He simply thinks “The Highlight” would be a good opponent for his return from retirement.

“Nothing personal,” Masvidal continued. “Obviously he seems like he’s a little personal that I make picks and stuff, but I would love to bust f****** Gaethje’s face up. Let him heal from this because he might never come back the same. That was a war that he went through, and on top of that he got f****** executed. So Gaethje can say whatever the f*** he wants, but I’m not giving a f*** about it. But if our paths do cross paths? I’d light that motherf***** up.”

Masvidal retired from MMA in 2023 but ended that retirement in January, though a return to the cage is still uncertain. In the meantime, “Gamebred” has a different fight on the horizon as he faces Nate Diaz in a 10-round boxing match on June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

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Aljamain Sterling may have been the only winner from UFC 300 to not receive a post-fight interview inside of the cage, but “Funk Master” still believes he had one of the most dominant performances on the card.

Sterling, who was coming off a TKO loss to Sean O’Malley back at UFC 292 in which he lost his UFC bantamweight title, was making his official UFC featherweight debut at UFC 300. “Funk Master” was matched up against a returning Calvin Kattar, who had not competed since blowing his knee out against Arnold Allen all the way back in Oct. 2022.

Needless to say, Sterling was the betting favorite to take care of business and return to the UFC win column in fashion.

Unfortunately, Sterling did not turn in the outing that many fight fans were hoping for. On a historic card like UFC 300 many were expecting for Sterling to come out guns blazing and do everything he could to find a finish against Kattar on the ESPN undercard. While Sterling dominated every minute of every round by utilizing his superior wrestling and grappling there weren’t too many moments of excitement. “Funk Master” has never been the most electric fighter on the roster, but he has some pretty solid submission wins under his belt and would have benefited greatly from a finish on the biggest card of 2024.

As expected, Sterling has received some backlash for his UFC 300 performance. On top of not getting a post-fight interview from UFC color commentator Joe Rogan the former UFC bantamweight king now finds himself defending his victory over Kattar. According to “Funk Master,” he had one of the best outings of anyone on the card.

“Our fight on that particular night of UFC 300 was not the most entertaining. But it was the most dominant fight I think you could’ve possibly looked at from the entire card from top to bottom. I think I’m arguably the top 3 most dominant on that entire fight card.

“You got a guy [Kattar] who, on average, lands about 4-5 strikes per minute, who was reduced to about 0.5.”

Sterling 34, now finds himself ranked No. 8 in the UFC’s featherweight division after his unanimous decision win over Kattar. His performance wasn’t good enough to land Sterling a No. 1 contender’s bout at 145 pounds, but a finish in his next Octagon appearance could leave “Funk Master” close to title contention.

For complete UFC 300 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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