Luke Rockhold tried “everything I could” before eventually withdrawing from a UFC 230 bout with Chris Weidman.

Eventually, though, Rockhold had to come to terms with the fact that, in order to make it to the octagon Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden, he’d have “to be able to walk” there – not crawl. And given the series of unfortunate events that piled up en route to his rematch with fellow ex-champ Weidman, that didn’t seem possible.

Starting with the leg injury that he’d surgically repaired and the “(expletive) nightmare” that came with that.

“It was a misinformed surgery,” Rockhold told Submission Radio. “Unfortunately, I was misguided by a couple of doctors, and I wouldn’t say malpractice, but it was a pretty idiotic move to open me up on the blade of my shin where they did, and everything I learned thus far. It seemed like a superficial surgery, and that’s why I went ahead with it. And sure enough, it’s been one of the worst things that I’ve ever dealt with in my life. So, I really can’t make any contact with it.

“It’s on the blade of my shin and it’s such a – like, I was in jeopardy of so many things with this leg and its repercussions if I were to go out there, and this thing opened up and an infection got into the bone. It’s just not worth it. I didn’t kick. The whole camp I didn’t use my left leg to kick. And so unfortunately after Vegas I got an infection on my way back home. And then as I thought the leg was doing better, and it would be ready to go, it backtracked and opened up, and then it was in jeopardy again. It was red, it was inflamed, and it was dangerous, because the skin has to build up.”

But that wasn’t the only problem that Rockhold had to face in camp until it finally became “too much to work around.”

“I broke my nose in a grappling exchange,” Rockhold said. “I got caught with a wild elbow. And so I was working around both of those, man. It was just too many things. And then on top of that, you know, I’m switching my stance to work with that and sparring with a cage around my face, and ended up spraining my knee, trying to force that. So I think it was a sign in the end that I have to – I wanted to work around every angle I could, but this is, that was it. That was the last straw.

“And the coaches have been trying to push me out of this fight for some time, and come the sprained knee, it was a sign. I don’t think it’s much of anything. It’s going to be two to three weeks for the knee, but everything else needs significant time to heal.”

The knee may not require too much recovery time but, understandably, it put a massive damper on his preparation. Rockhold said he couldn’t walk for three days because of it. Between limping, being unable to use his left leg, having to stay away from a broken nose, a call had to be made.

It was a “pretty obvious” choice, but it clearly wasn’t an easy one.

“It was a tough one to accept, but that’s why you have coaching staff and good people around you to kind of guide you in the right way,” Rockhold said. “Man, I didn’t want to accept this fight going away. I wanted every (expletive) inch of it.”

Thankfully for Weidman, the UFC 230 card was so stacked with middleweight talent that not only was he still able to get an opponent – he didn’t have to go too far down the rankings. Ronaldo Souza, who’s ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/ MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, left a scheduled bout with No. 8 David Branch and stepped in for No. 4 Rockhold. Weidman sits at No. 5.

Which means the night’s co-headliner is still a pretty relevant one, regardless of how it pans out – meaning that, in theory, it could be interesting for Rockhold to face whoever wins. But Rockhold had also been planning a move up to the 205-pound division and it took a lot – namely, a fight in Madison Square Garden, against Weidman, for him to stay at 185.

When it comes to his future in either division, Rockhold wouldn’t give any definitive answers. “We’ll see who comes out on top and where they fall,” Rockhold said. But say “Jacare” Souza is the one coming out on top, would he still be down?

“I wouldn’t mind it,” Rockhold said. “We’ll see how it all plays out. But if ‘Jacare’ beats him, I just don’t know. We’ll see. ‘Jacare’ seemingly is a little stiffer, a little slower these days, but he’s still powerful. He can catch him, but he seems a bit slower. So, I don’t know what to expect from Weidman. He looked good in his last fight, but he’s hit and miss. I think when he’s out there he’s always tough, but he doesn’t adjust well. We’ll see what happens.”

Whatever fight comes next, Rockhold first has to be healthy. The good news there is that Rockhold is in shape and, though his initial answer to a question about a timeline was “next year,” he thinks that could possibly happen as soon as UFC 232 on Dec. 29.

“I’ve done so much to get to this point, and so I’m going to honor my body,” Rockhold said. “I’m going to be on my diet and take care of my body, cross train, and I’ve just got to avoid contact. No contact of the leg. We’re going to go week by week. But I’m assuming it’s going to have at least a month of no contact. And that’s the same with the nose really. And I’m not going to hurt my knee either. So I think a month between all these things.

“If I really just focus and not set myself back, I should be back in the heat of things. And so I think there’s a chance if something plays out, December 29th, it’s not a bad idea. And I know there’s a big card come the beginning of the year. There’s a big card I believe on ESPN or something like that back in New York. We’ll see. We’ll see how it all plays out. But I’ll be on my game, I’ll be doing my thing and I’m not looking to take much time off. I’m trying to just get through this leg, and like I said, I’ve got to really let this thing heal. And when I know I can trust this thing and kick with it and train with it, then I can start a training camp and commit to a fight.”

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