Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou’s exit from UFC along with his own could make 2023 ‘the year of correction’, says Luke Rockhold

The news that Luke Rockhold was given his release from the UFC and is now a legal free agent has given him new life. He can now talk to other promotions and test the free agent market.

Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz are free agents, and Rockhold noted that the three of them have the chance to make 2023 a year for improvement during his appearance on The MMA Hour. According to him, Ariel Helwani (23:11–23:34):

“There is a lot of bullsht going on, in my opinion, but like I mentioned, 2023 might be a year of correction. This year, I believe we can make a lot of progress. So let’s go, boys; I’m happy to be a part of that. I’m sending my best wishes to Francis [Ngannou]. My best wishes are with you, Nate [Diaz]. Let’s go f**ing make some stuff happen, myself.”
The former middleweight champion of the UFC and Strikeforce believes he needs a change of scenery in order to rediscover his love for mixed martial arts. He explained that one reason for wanting to be released was that, at this point in his career, he was not interested in trying to climb the rankings simply to obtain a good fight.

“Who was going to thrill me where I was in the UFC? I have to go through that again, but the only UFC fighter that ever really excited me was someone like Israel [Adesanya], Robert Whittaker, or Alex Pereira. For whatever it’s worth, my time isn’t really worth it either. I require something fresh.”

Luke Rockhold supports Francis Ngannou for leaving the UFC

Francis Ngannou’s decision to become a free agent after turning down a contract extension with the UFC has earned Luke Rockhold a great deal of respect for him.

The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion expressed his happiness for Ngannou and his reasons for wanting to leave the UFC during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (13:44–14:03):

“I admire Francis. Francis and I have always agreed on the same things, and I have the utmost respect for him for making his decision and desiring his freedom. The most amazing thing is freedom. With Dana [White], negotiations are not enjoyable. I’ve experienced many of them.”

“There is a lot of bullsht going on, in my opinion, but like I mentioned, 2023 might be a year of correction. This year, I believe we can make a lot of progress. So let’s go, boys; I’m happy to be a part of that. I’m sending my best wishes to Francis [Ngannou]. My best wishes are with you, Nate [Diaz]. Let’s go f**ing make some stuff happen, myself.”
The former middleweight champion of the UFC and Strikeforce believes he needs a change of scenery i

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