Luke Rockhold clashes with kickboxing veteran Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45

Luke Rockhold is making the most out of his stay in Dubai.

Following news that he’s currently coaching an Ultimate Fighter style reality show opposite Tyron Woodley for Hardcore FC, the former UFC middleweight champion has also signed up for a showdown with Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 on April 20.

Rockhold announced the news via Instagram.

The fight in April will be Rockhold’s first appearance since losing to Mike Perry in his first and only bare-knuckle fight in BKFC almost one year ago. Since that time, Rockhold has remained active looking for different opportunities and it appears Karate Combat came calling with an offer he couldn’t refuse.

A champion in both the UFC and Strikeforce, Rockhold fell on harder times prior to announcing his retirement from competition in 2022 after dropping three fights in a row. He eventually secured his release from the UFC and came back for the bare-knuckle fight with Perry.

Now he’ll try his hand at karate with the fight against Schilling, who is a veteran of both kickboxing and Muay Thai as well as holding a 4-6 record in MMA. At his best, Schilling is best known for delivering some of the most vicious knockouts in combat sports, but he’ll be competing for the first time since 2019 when he lost his last fight in Bellator.

Rockhold vs. Schilling takes place at Karate Combat 45 in Dubai with more fights expected to be announced in the coming weeks.