Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold claims fast-rising star Khamzat Chimaev turned down a fight with him three years ago.
Upon returning to the Octagon in 2022 following a three-year layoff Rockhold says he was offered Chimaev as a comeback opponent.
Rockhold accepted the challenger without hesitation, however, the Swedish powerhouse turned down the opportunity, resulting in Paulo Costa getting the call.
“I like all the matchups (in the UFC), so you never know,” Rockhold told Submission Radio.
“I’m still fighting. I still feel good. I’m still getting in the game.
“But first things first, we’ve got (Chris) Weidman, we’ve got Gegard (Mousasi), we’ve got some fun fights (in the GFL).
“Khamzat turned down a fight against me. When I was supposed to come back, my first fight back before Paulo Costa, they tried to book that fight and he didn’t want to play. I said yes.”
Rockhold came up short against Costa over the distance in a gruelling three-round slugfest that tested his resolve.
The rugged veteran got his nose broken by the first punch Costa landed and battled through extreme exhaustion to see out the fight.
A tearful Rockhold then announced his retirement from MMA in the immediate aftermath.
But he has since been drafted to the Global Fight League as part of Team Dubai.
“There’s some fights I’m really interested in,” Rockhold said of possible matchups under his new promotional banner.
“Obviously [Gegard] Mousasi is out there, I know he mentioned it.
“That’s a fight that I’ve always been interested in.
“So competitive fights, fun fights, big fights – it piques my interest.”
Instead of fighting Rockhold, Chimaev took on Kevin Holland one month after the American’s blood-soaked war with Costa.
Chimaev made quick work of ‘The Trailblazer’ before moving on to stiffer opposition.
In his next outing, he overcame former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on points and then tapped out former middleweight title holder Robert Whittaker in the opening stanza.
He is now on the verge of getting a middleweight title shot and is ranked No.3 at 185lbs by the UFC.
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis defends his strap against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 on February 9.
Chimaev could be next in line to face the winner.
