Luke Rockhold Prefers Whittaker Over Romero For Next Opponent

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold recently got back to his winning ways, finishing veteran David Branch in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 116 main event, which took place in Pittsburgh on Sept. 16, 2017.

Now focused on retaining his title, Rockhold was asked on yesterday’s (Sept. 25, 2017) edition of The MMA Hour if he’d be interesting in fighting fellow top contender Yoel Romero, who’s coming off of a loss to interim champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 215 this past July.

Rockhold, however, made it clear that he’d rather fight Whittaker, although he also said that he’s uninterested in fighting for ‘little change’:

“I’d be interested in Whittaker. I want the title. Everything is gauged to get to the title, to get the money. I want money fights, that’s what I am here for,” he said.

“I am turning 33, I’m not getting any younger and I want to set myself up. I’m not fighting for this little change, you know. I want the real money. Everything is structured to be there. Like I said before, I want a path, I want a direction and with both titles being held hostage, there is no point fighting anybody until they straighten things out. Or unless they pull up the title,” Rockhold said.

Whittaker, however, is currently dealing with an injury. Middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who stole the title from Rockhold in June 2016, on the other hand, is set to defend his 185-pound strap against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 217 on Nov. 4, 2017.

With that being said, Rockhold also said that a move up to light heavyweight could certainly take place for him in the future:

“Obviously I’d like to finish my business here at Middleweight, but I have been thinking about it for a long time. I’m a lot more explosive. The weight cut is definitely affecting me, and it takes time to shake off that nerve and get the feel back. I feel good at Light Heavyweight I feel great.”

Who would you like to see Rockhold fight next?