Luke Rockhold vs Nick Rodriguez main event set for Nov. 30 in Newport

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, will return to action on Sat., Nov. 30, 2019 in Newport, Wales, in the Polaris 12 main event opposite jiu-jitsu wunderkind Nick Rodriguez.

That’s according to a report from Bloody Elbow.

Rockhold is on hiatus from mixed martial arts (MMA) in the wake of his devastating knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 back in July (see it here), a light heavyweight debut for the ex-king of Strikeforce that did not mark the new beginning he was hoping for.

Jon Jones, 205-pound “princess,” remains safe.

“I’ve been in jiu-jitsu and grappling my whole life,” Rockhold said. “Black belts are black belts, I’m very capable of beating anybody. I bring ‘legitsu’ to the table.”

Rodriguez is an Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) silver medalist with wins over Ash Amos and Ben Dyson, among others. The Polaris 12 card, featuring a co-main event title fight between Ashley Williams and Joao Miyao, will be streamed on the UFC Fight Pass digital network.