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The next chapter of Luke Rockhold's combat sports career will take place under the Karate Combat banner.
Earlier this week, an announcement was made about Rockhold coaching an Ultimate Fighter-like reality show for the Russian-based promotion, Hardcore Fighting Championship. Filming will begin in Dubai over the next few days, with fellow former UFC champion Tyron Woodley as the other coach.
Fans questioned if Rockhold and Woodley would fight at the end of the season, similar to TUF. It turns out they likely won't, as the California native has confirmed his next combat sports outing will be with Karate Combat.
On April 20, Rockhold will headline Karate Combat 45 in Dubai against Joe Schilling. Both fighters haven't been overly active over the last few years, but there's a strong possibility this fight will satisfy the fans.
In August 2022, Rockhold suffered his third consecutive UFC loss due to a unanimous decision defeat against Paulo Costa. The 39-year-old later parted ways with the promotion, leading to his latest fight being a bare-knuckle boxing match against Mike Perry in April 2023, which the latter won by second-round TKO.
Meanwhile, Schilling will have to shake up more ring rust for his Karate Combat main event against Rockhold. The 40-year-old had several canceled fights in recent years but hasn't competed since getting knocked out by Tony Johnson in October 2019 at Bellator 229.
What are the fighting credentials of Luke Rockhold's upcoming opponent, Joe Schilling?
Luke Rockhold is a well-known figure in the combat sports community due to his accolades of becoming the UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion. With that said, Joe Schilling shouldn't be overlooked in the Karate Combat 45 main event, as he deserves respect for being a dangerous striker.
Schilling fought 10 times in MMA but didn't find much success (4-6 record). When it comes to kickboxing and Muay Thai, that's where he's made a name for himself by becoming a world champion in Glory Kickboxing and WBC Muay Thai.
It's difficult to predict what will happen in the Karate Combat 45 main event between Rockhold and Schilling. Only time will tell which highly credentialed striker can emerge victorious in Dubai on April 20.
Watch Luke Rockhold recently sparring below:
