Karate Combat Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold faces former Glory champion

Karate Combat will arrive in Dubai for the first time to hold its 45th edition, on April 20th. And the organization’s debut in Arab territory will come with a fight in the main event. Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will face the former Glory Kickboxing champion Joe Schilling.

At 39 years old and with an extensive career in mixed martial arts, Rockhold he was Strikeforce champion in 2011. He also won the Ultimate belt in 2015. After ending his contract with the UFC two years ago, the North American has worked for several organizations, such as Bare Knuckle FC (bare-hand boxing), as well as submission events (grappling).

One year older, Schilling He was middleweight GP champion at Glory 17, and later competed in MMA for Bellator.

Motivated by the new venture, Rockhold highlighted that the rules of Karate Combat will benefit his style.

“Boxing in Bare Knuckle was fun. But being able to use my kicks again will be great. Being part of an organization like this (Karate Combat) is intriguing because it brings me something new. That’s what I’ve been looking for at this stage of my career. I can’t wait to see how I’ll behave and what I can do in the pit (fight arena)”he stated.

So far, the confrontation was the only one announced for this month’s card. But the brand’s management says that the first journey in Dubai will be a milestone.

“Without a doubt, this will be the ‘wildest’ main event in our history. But we will have other surprises. No one will miss out by waiting. It’s a great honor to finally take Karate Combat to one of the most fantastic cities on the planet”, said the president Asim Saidi.

Karate Combat events can be watched live and free on the brand’s official YouTube channel. UFC Fight Pass also broadcasts. Check out the application’s schedule.