Former UFC champion reveals $50k payday from rival promotion for fight that never happened ...Middle East

Luke Rockhold has claimed he was paid five figures by the Global Fight League (GFL) for a fight that never happened.

The 40-year-old had joined forces with the GFL for his first MMA bout since leaving the UFC, having fought in bare-knuckle boxing and Karate Combat after his run in Dana White‘s promotion.

What happened to the Global Fight League?

In February, the GFL announced Rockhold would face his former UFC rival Chris Weidman in a rematch ten years in the making.

Rockhold knocked out Weidman four rounds into their co-main event bout at UFC 194 in December 2015 to win the middleweight title.

The promotion revealed the pair would fight on a stacked doubleheader card, alongside a host of other exciting bouts that featured MMA legends and ex-UFC stars.

But two months later, the GFL collapsed after cancelling its inaugural events, leaving several of the sport’s biggest stars in limbo over their fighting future, and the promotion hasn’t been heard from since.

Now, Rockhold finds himself returning to combat sports for his professional boxing debut under the Misfits banner.

The former UFC middleweight champion spoke to talkSPORT.com ahead of his comeback to fighting and was brutally honest about his brief spell with the GFL.

“Yeah, I was just taking a pay cheque,” Rockhold responded when asked if he was in conversations with the GFL.

“I kind of knew they weren’t gonna do anything, but you know…I got a nice 50, little 50 spot.”

Rockhold then confirmed he didn’t expect his fight with Weidman to go ahead the entire time.

“My manager kind of knew,” he added.

“You see the pay scales and how they’re paying people – it just didn’t make sense what people were set to get paid. 

“You’re talking seven-figure pay cheques for non-UFC champions, the guys that never reached it. 

“Like what the f*** are you? You can’t sustain that. There’s no sustaining, so. I got paid, I got paid very well.”

Who is Luke Rockhold fighting at Misfits 22?

Rockhold faces fellow ex-UFC fighter Darren Till in his return to combat sports on August 30.

The pair will box it out in the main event of Misfits 22 in Manchester.

The card also features MMA icon Tony Ferguson and reality TV star Joey Essex, who has been doing the rounds with Conor Benn before his debut.

Rockhold said he chose to fight under the Misfits banner, as he has always wanted to fight in the UK.

He believes the fight with Till is a perfect way to ‘get my feet warm’ and has ambitions to keep on getting better with the big gloves on.

“Boxing is my last art of fighting that I haven’t really perfected,” Rockhold concluded.

“I’m enjoying the process of perfecting art as I always have in life. I like to perfect things.

“There have been some holes in my game, and I’m looking forward to cleaning those up and being a little more dangerous.”

He has suggested in the build-up to the bout that his opponent, Till, doesn’t belong in a ring or cage with him.

Till, meanwhile, is making his third appearance at Misfits, having won his previous two fights with KSI’s promotion this year.

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