We are just a couple of weeks removed from the first GFL draft and today we learned of the first official matchup that’s been booked by the promotion. It’s a rematch of former world champions as Luke Rockhold (16-6) and Chris Weidman (16-8) will fight for a second time.
Their first fight took place all the way back in 2015 so their rematch will be a full decade after their first fight. When they fought for the first time, Weidman was the undefeated UFC middleweight champion. After both men had early success, it was Rockhold who was able to score a fourth round TKO to become the middleweight champion.
Since then, both men have expressed interest in running the fight back. In fact, the UFC had booked the two to fight in an immediate rematch but Weidman had to pull out of the fight. Rockhold went on to lose the title to Michael Bisping and the rematch never came together until now. The GFL is making this fight happen.
GFL’s First Matchup
Chris Weidman announced that he was walking away from the UFC a week prior to the GFL draft. Many considered this to be a retirement from Weidman, however, “The All American” had other plans. Weidman is a member of Team New York and he will be getting back in the cage. Weidman won a technical decision over Bruno Silva in March 2024 which was his first win since 2020 before he broke his leg. He lost to Eryk Anders back in December by second round TKO.
While Luke Rockhold has been active in competing in other combat sports, we haven’t seen him in MMA since his loss to Paulo Costa back in 2022. He’s only fought in MMA once since 2019 but he’s making his MMA return with the GFL and he’ll be looking to make it 2-0 against his longtime rival.
