Luke Rockhold made some inflammatory comments about bare knuckle boxing as a sport and a legendary figure within the world of gloveless combat who weighed in on that characterization. Luke Rockhold infamously lost to Mike Perry at BKFC 41 when pronounced damage to the teeth of the former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion caused him to. Since then, Luke Rockhold has called bare knuckle a dumbass sport, said it's not a fight, and things of that persuasion.
James Connelly clashes with Martin Reffell in the headliner of BKB 45 on September 6th with the former colelcting multiple BKB titles through his journey in this sport. Connelly was the latest guest on Bare Knuckle Bowker and when covering some of the negative comments that Rockhold had toward the sport of bare knuckle, James Connelly said,
"What I just said to you, mate, that they only find out when they're in the first round of their first fight. What did Rockhold do? Bang, felt his teeth go, get me out of here. You know, some people will stick out and do the rounds and stuff like that. He found, mate, listen, everyone has their own opinion on the sport. Whether he; I'm not going to get offended if he calls bare knuckle a joke for a sport."
"No mate, you couldn't do it. Just like I ain't done MMA, you know, different strokes for different folks. That's exactly what it is. But that's a prime example of someone that wanted a bare knuckle fight, probably probably thought it was going to be this, that, and the other, and found out it's f***ing not, mate. You know, you can get your teeth knocked out."
"You can't get scars going across your face. You can come up messed up, mate. That's why it's a very; that's why I say it's a dirty and horrible sport and you've got to be well involved in it. The training; don't come to this sport if you want to be known as a hard person and you want to have that sort of fear factor about you, man."
"It's not the sport, you know, there is guys out there, man, who wouldn't say boo to anyone but when they get in that ring, mate, they they'll just start slicing you up, mate, you know what I mean and stuff like that. The more calmer people, the people that train hard, keep their mouth closed, and you can talk a bit of smack. I'm not talking about that. People like to have a little back and forth and stuff like that."
Luke Rockhold had "the wrong attitude" and got his teeth cracked, per Connelly
Continuing to expound upon how some fighters can enter this sport with a maligned valor component attached to it through the microcosm of Luke Rockhold,
"I'm talking about with that mentality about you want to come in here for anything other that I want to be a bare knuckle fighter. Luke Rockhold found out, you know, and what's someone going to do when they do lose the fight and they almost lose their teeth? Call it a dumba** sport, you know, like they're going to say try and like slag the sport off and use it as a term like that."
"When really, mate, you went and had a go. You weren't saying that before. He was all getting ready to have this fight. As soon as you got caught with that first bang, that first crack your teeth open, his teeth. He said didn't want to lose his teeth. You know, I'm in a sport where I can't use everything that I've used in my life. I use kicks, his MMA grappling and stuff like that. He said that."
"He said, "I don't know what a sport [this is]. I can't use them." But he knew what he was getting involved in before he used these just the bare knuckles, you know. So he's a prime example of bare knuckle fighters coming in with the wrong attitude. You know, it's an attitude and mentality based sport this is. You know what I mean? You see guys; like I spoke to boxers, mate, high quality boxers."
"No, never would dream about doing a bare knuckle fight. They stick the gloves on, man, and be wrapping people up quickly. But yeah, a prime example that is saying that, Dylan, and it's good that you mentioned that because it just validates what I just said. Do you know what I mean? About it being no joke of a sport and you're going to need more than just wanting to be hard and wanting to be known as a bare knuckle fighter to be in it. To get anywhere in it, sorry."
