Luke Rockhold has thrown his hat in the ring for a grappling match against Georges St-Pierre (GSP), who is set to compete at the UFC Invitational on December 14. While no opponent has been officially announced for GSP, several contenders, including Demian Maia, have shown interest. Now, Luke Rockhold has stepped up as a potential opponent for the Canadian legend.
However, Rockhold is realistic about the chances of this match materializing. He acknowledges that St-Pierre might not accept the challenge, but if he does, Rockhold is ready to go full force against him.
“Georges St-Pierre wants to go, I would go with Georges in a heartbeat. But, if he’s smart, probably not,” Luke Rockhold expressed in a recent interview. “I’m too big and too good for him… I’ll go straight for your neck. Straight at you. I don’t hold back or any way of fighting. I’m going to come for you.”
A potential hurdle in arranging this grappling match is the weight class. Although both Rockhold and St-Pierre are former UFC middleweight champions, Rockhold recognizes the size difference and suggests they compete at 190 pounds.
“I’m not going down below 185 pounds,” Rockhold emphasized. “Grappling, I wouldn’t go below 190. If Georges wants to go, I will meet him at 190 pounds any day of the week. I’d love to do it.”
While Georges St-Pierre has yet to respond to Rockhold’s challenge, the prospect of a high-profile opponent like Rockhold could be intriguing for GSP’s grappling endeavor. Whether St-Pierre is interested in this matchup or not remains to be seen.
Luke Rockhold’s most recent bout took place in April, resulting in a TKO loss to Mike Perry in a bare-knuckle debut. He concluded his UFC career on a losing streak, culminating with a decision loss to Paulo Costa. Throughout his career, Rockhold has secured notable victories against stars such as Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida, and Michael Bisping.
