Former
UFC and
Strikeforce
middleweight champion
Luke
Rockhold will make his Karate Combat debut against
Joe
Schilling next month.
Both fighters announced the booking on social media, and it was
later confirmed by multiple outlets. Rockhold vs. Schilling will
take place at Karate Combat 45 on April 20 in Dubai and will be
contested at 195 pounds.
Rockhold’s last combat sports appearance came at BKFC 41, where he
fell to
Mike Perry
via second round TKO in April 2023. Prior to that, he returned from
a three-year hiatus in MMA to face
Paulo Costa
at UFC 278, where he dropped a unanimous decision to his Brazilian
foe.
Schilling, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since October 2019, when he
suffered a knockout loss to
Tony
Johnson at Bellator 229. The 40-year-old Schilling, who is also
a veteran of Glory Kickboxing, compiled a 4-6 record in MMA.