Did Luke Rockhold retire from MMA?

Luke Rockhold has retired from the sport of MMA. After suffering his third consecutive defeat in the UFC, the American decided to call it a day. He was very emotional after losing to Paulo Costa at UFC 278 on Saturday night.

Rockhold managed to last all three rounds against the Brazilian but lost via unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards. Speaking to Joe Rogan after the bout, the 37-year-old fighter stated:

"I've been through so much the last three years. Thank you fighting, thank you UFC, thank you Joe [Rogan]. I f****ng can't do this s**t anymore. I gave it my all and I just didn't... I'm f****ng old."

Watch Rockhold's full octagon interview with Joe Rogan here:

One of Rockhold's closest friends and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier seemingly confirmed the retirement announcement via Twitter. 'DC' wished the 37-year-old middleweight all the best in the future and said that despite losing, it was the "best way" for Rockhold to leave the sport.

Luke Rockhold can look back at a successful UFC career where he won the middleweight strap by beating Chris Weidman at UFC 194 in 2015.

---

When did Luke Rockhold make his UFC debut and who was his opponent?

Luke Rockhold has seemingly put an end to a nine-year UFC career, which began back in 2013 against Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8. The American lost his organizational debut via first-round knockout against the Brazilian.

However, the 37-year-old Californian managed to string together a solid run of results. He won his next five fights in a row, culminating in the title victory over Weidman. Rockhold's run ended in a rematch against Michael Bisping at UFC 199, with the Englishman taking away his middleweight crown via stoppage in the very first round.

Watch Rockhold win the UFC middleweight title here:

Unfortunately, Rockhold's UFC career didn't end on a high note. He lost his last three bouts in the organization, with Yoel Romero and Jan Blachowicz both finishing the former middleweight champion within three rounds. However, the American did manage to take Paulo Costa to the judges' scorecards at UFC 278 in a fun fight.