"I have never wanted him to fight more"- Chael Sonnen explains why this was the worst time for Luke Rockhold to retire

In a passionate rant about Luke Rockhold's recent retirement, Chael Sonnen explained to the world why this is by far the worst time for the middleweight to retire.

The former UFC middleweight champion had his eyes set on a potential 185lb clash against Israel Adesanya, but shockingly pulled down the curtain on his career after his bout on August 20. Despite losing, the aging veteran and possible future Hall-of-Famer earned fans' respect after his incredible show of heart last time out.

Speaking to his supporters on YouTube, Chael Sonnen opened up about Luke Rockhold's retirement and gave his opinion on why he believes it's not the best of times to call an end to his time competing.

"I cannot get enough Luke Rockhold, I can't... I have never wanted to see him fight more than I do right now. I want him to rescind his retirement... [I'm] crazy about Luke right now, I think that you guys are too. But Luke is now in a position where he's unhappy with Dana White... If Luke called the UFC today, they'd put him back in the USADA pool, they'll book him a match. If Luke called Dana and said, 'Hey, listen. Could you give me a release?'... Dana would do it, out of respect to Luke."

'The American Gangster' went on to explain that while Rockhold felt like he was treated badly by the promotion, he was still being inserted into huge fights with title implications despite being in poor form inside the cage.

Check out what Chael Sonnen had to say about the middleweight in the video below.

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Should Luke Rockhold reconsider retirement?

Luke Rockhold will likely go down as one of the greatest middleweights of all time during his prime years, but inactivity and a handful of bad performances inside the octagon led to his retirement.

If the 37-year-old does decide to lay down the gloves for good, he will do so as a former UFC and Strikeforce champion who was only ever beaten by some of the best to lace up the gloves. But if he chooses to stay competing in MMA, what's next for him?

Fighting out his contract with the UFC seems like the most likely option, but if the 185er is granted his release as stated by Chael Sonnen, there will be a handful of promotions battling it out to secure the warrior's signature.