Luke Rockhold: I Can Get Paid Much More Modeling Than Fighting

You know it’s a slow week in MMA when a former UFC champion is talking about modeling in the news.

But that’s just what former middleweight boss Luke Rockhold is doing. After he was knocked out in shocking fashion in his short-notice title fight against Michael Bisping at June’s UFC 199, Rockhold was quick to claim that Bisping got lucky and that he deserved an immediate rematch given that he had already submitted “The Count” in November 2014.

However, during an appearance on this week’s The MMA Hour, Rockhold’s stance on that rematch seems to have calmed down a bit, as the notoriously handsome middleweight could be enjoying the fame and attention fighting brings him in other ways. Rockhold was recently revealed to be dating pop star Demi Lovato, and now he’s got another opportunity in the works.

Apparently the former champ has a modeling gig that pays significantly more than fighting does, so while he wants to avenge his loss to Bisping and reclaim his title, he says it has to ‘make sense’ for him to put his health on the line for less money:

“I definitely want to fight, and I want to get back to that title and get my shot. So, it’s about making the right move next, and making it worth my while. I’m not going to just go out there and put my body on the line when I can get paid that much more in this world [modeling]. So, if they make it worth my while, I’d love to come back. This is what I love to do — I love to fight. But, it’s got to make sense.”

Rockhold made it clear that he has a good report with his employers at the UFC, and that he also has several fights remaining on his contract with them. He knows they are notorious for using hard-line negotiating tactics with fighters, and he accepts that as part of the fight game. But he said he has other avenues to make money himself, so he has the rarely-available opportunity to take time off as a fighter:

“I have a good relationship with the UFC for sure. It’s just, they’re always going to…it’s business, they’re going to make things to their advantage, of course. Try to take advantage of certain things and put you in a place and do what they can. That’s business, that’s how it is. And guess what, I’ve got my own business on the side and I can stand my ground too. I can take some time off.”

Sitting pretty at No. 3 on the official pound-for-pound rankings less than three months ago, there was talk that Rockhold was already the most accomplished middleweight of all time. That came crashing down against Bisping, however, a fight where Rockhold had an injured MCL that has since required some gruesome treatments to get on the path towards healing right. With that and other nagging injuries playing into his decision, Rockhold again described a scenario where he’d be paid more to instead let his body heal rather than continually bet it up:

“I’m a fighter at heart, but I’m here to get paid, so if there’s more potential [in modeling], I’ll take it. And we’re talking big numbers, so I could laugh and let my body heal and wait for the time’s right to come back and fight when it makes sense.”

With fighter pay at the center of a hotbed of issues constantly being discussed about the UFC and MMA as a whole, it’s understandable that a top-ranked former champion wants to be paid what he’s worth, especially with potentially lucrative business opportunities awaiting him outside the cage.

However, it’s going to be tough to negotiate a big payday when you just got knocked out by a fighter most regarded as a mid-level contender for most of his career, and owning a wishy-washy stance on fighting the best in the world may not be the best path to getting the belt back.

Rockhold reiterated that in a somewhat surprising context when asked if he wanted to fight at November’s supposedly blockbuster UFC 205 from New York (which currently has no fights booked), proclaiming that he might, but not if it were to interfere with any of his new modeling obligations:

“But at the same time, if I’m going to go put my body [on the line], and put off deals in [the modeling] world, it’s got to make sense in my world. If I’m going to put down deals that are worth more than I’m fighting for and I’m avoiding a shoot or something I need to do, it just doesn’t make sense. I’m going to go beat my body down and put myself through hell. I love the reward at the end, but the reward’s got to be worth it.”