People are excited to witness Luke Rockhold in the Octagon after a long hiatus. His upcoming fight against Paulo Costa is being widely discussed. Hence, retired UFC champion Daniel Cormier checked in with Rockhold about his comeback and why he wanted the Costa fight.

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Rockhold said, “I think he’s just, obviously it’s, he looking for a way out at times. He’s not a 100% in and that’s a dangerous place to be. And I’ve been there, not a 100% in.”

He further said, “I don’t like him. First of all, I don’t like Paulo Costa.”

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When Cormier questioned the reason behind disliking Costa, Rockhold said, “I don’t think anybody in there, any decent men in the world… you look at the guy, and you’re just like ‘f**k’. He’s on the different side of Sean Strickland. But two, both just horrible human beings.”

So the fighter not only expressed his dislike for Costa, but also took a quick dig at Strickland. Post this, both the personalities talked about the future of UFC’s middleweight division.

READ MORE- The 5 Greatest UFC Fighters of the Middleweight Division

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Strickland and Alex Pereira will face each other soon. Pereira is the only guy to have knocked out Israel Adesanya in a kickboxing match. Hence, if he manages to defeat Strickland, he might get to face Adesanya for the third time. Hence, many fans are interested in seeing Pereira fight a ranked opponent.

Luke Rockhold on his path to the top

The fighter felt the to the top “is late“. Rockhold spoke about Marvin Vettori, who is also a top fighter in the division. While the fighter admitted Vettori was a tough fighter with discipline, he also felt Vettori did not possess the required talent.

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He discussed Vettori and Costa’s fight and was of the opinion that Vettori could have finished Costa in the fight had he stepped on the gas when openings were present.

Luke Rockhold

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However, Luke Rockhold is confident he won’t make the same mistakes as Vettori. He said, “I can execute and I can expose a different side of Paulo’s game.”

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So UFC 278 is going to become a lot more interesting with Costa versus Rockhold on the card. Both the fighters are coming off two consecutive losses and a third loss won’t look good on either one’s resume. Hence, both the fighters have enough reason to be at their absolute best in this upcoming fight.

Watch this story:  Conor McGregor’s Super Human Transformation After the Horrific Injury at UFC 264

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What do you think about Rockhold’s comments on Paulo Costa?

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Rohini Kottu

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Rohini Kottu is a Newsroom Editor at EssentiallySports, bringing years of expertise in sports journalism and editorial leadership. With many editorials under her byline, she has worked across combat divisions and is now a key part of the Newsroom team, shaping coverage across the site’s 14 category pages. Her editorial command lies in balancing sharp news judgment with compelling storytelling, ensuring every article resonates with sports fans while maintaining ES’s brand voice. Rohini’s journey and impact were also spotlighted in the Humans of EssentiallySports series, where she reflected on her evolution from rookie to pro in just a few years. Today, she continues to drive newsroom standards by delivering authoritative, reader-first content in an era where authenticity and clarity are more vital than ever.

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Ajinkya Aswale