It has been reported for a number of weeks now that a matchup between former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman was in the works for UFC 230 in November at Madison Square Garden, New York although nothing has been made official yet.
The pair previously met back in December 2015 at UFC 194 where Rockhold knocked out then-champion Weidman. Weidman has been sidelined for over a year now with a nagging injury as a result of a torn ligament he suffered in his thumb. “The All-American” last featured inside the Octagon in July 2017 where he snapped a three-fight losing streak by defeating Kelvin Gastelum.
Rockhold last fought back in February at UFC 221 for the interim UFC middleweight title against Yoel Romero. Romero missed weight for the fight ruling him out of contention for the title but managed to put the disappointment behind him to knock out Rockhold in the third round.
Rockhold spoke to reporters at an event with his sponsor American Ethanol and said the only reason he’s not already signed a rematch bout against Weidman in November is because he wants a better contract (via MMAJunkie.com).
“No pen to paper. Of course it’s intriguing. Madison Square Garden vs. Weidman – (I’m) No. 2, he’s No. 3 (in the official UFC rankings). It’s a pretty clear-cut fight. You go out there and do the job at Madison Square… it’s fun, it’s sexy. You’ve got to show me the right contract. I don’t need to do anything. Business is good. We’re doing business everywhere. I’ve got a lot of things going on. When you show me the right contract, I’ll sign the right contract.”
At this stage, UFC 230 only has a co-main event, featuring lightweights Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz.