Rockhold withdraws from Strickland fight

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold pulled out of his bout with Sean Strickland due to back problems. They were scheduled to meet Nov. 6 at UFC 268 in New York.

"It's not easy for me to say this, but the fight in New York is not going to happen. I ended my preparations with a herniated disc between my fifth and fourth vertebrae. The doctors say I can't fight. I need more time for treatment and recovery.

Some things just aren't meant to be. New York fucking New York. My apologies to friends and fans, but we'll be back. See you soon," Rockhold said on Instagram.

The 36-year-old Rockhold hasn't appeared in the octagon since July 2019, when he made a foray into the flyweight division and was knocked out by Jan Blachowicz.