Luke
Rockhold has been talking about making a return to the Ultimate
Fighting Championship in recent months, and he could have one of
his American Kickboxing Academy teammates in his corner if that
becomes a reality.
In an interview with
TMZ Sports, Rockhold revealed that retired former UFC
lightweight champion Khabib
Nurmagomedov has talked about coaching him for his next bout.
After several attempts at getting Nurmagomedov to come back to the
Octagon, the UFC finally acknowledged his retirement and officially
vacated the lightweight belt last week.
“He’s assuming this coaching role now. He’s going off on me,
wanting to coach me. He wants to be a big part of my comeback so
it’s pretty funny to see Khabib assume this role,” Rockhold said.
“He’s going for ‘Coach of the Year.’ That’s what he wants. He wants
to be the next great thing, follow in his dad’s footsteps. That’s
what his dad always did. His dad was always insightful and always
had a good eye for the sport and I think Khabib is ready to assume
that role.”
Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, died last year due to
complications related to COVID-19. The elder Nurmagomedov was a
renowned MMA coach and significant influence in his son’s fighting
career. Based on what he’s seen from Khabib, Rockhold believes the
former title holder can make the transition to coaching quite
well.
“Of course he can be a good coach,” Rockhold said. “It’s like,
sometimes you have to put yourself aside. Even if you know a lot,
it’s better to be guided, like a mindless training if you trust in
your coach, someone to direct you and put you in the right way,
because no matter how much you know, sometimes you’ve got to step
back and let somebody else direct the situation.
“He knows how to press the pace. The thing with Khabib, he always
pressed. The first day he showed up I was like, I like this kid. He
showed up by himself and I was like, he works hard. I was like,
come with me, let’s do this, and he always pressed me to my limit.
That’s what it really takes. You need someone to get on your back,
press you, and he knows all the techniques and the routes to do
so.”
Rockhold
initially targeted a late 2020 return to UFC competition after
recovering from shoulder surgery, but that timeline did not come to
fruition. He last fought at 205 pounds, suffering a second-round KO
loss to Jan
Blachowicz at UFC 239 in July 2019. Rockhold plans on returning
to middleweight, where he captured titles in both the UFC and
Strikeforce, for his next fight.
“I think realistically, I think it’s summer time, late summer
return,” Rockhold said. “I’ve got to get my body right. My shoulder
has been an ongoing issue but it’s finally coming around and
getting to a point where I have confidence in it to let it go. I’m
pressing to get in shape and it feels good. It feels good to be
back in the gym and I’m getting that fire back.”