Luke Rockhold is making a comeback.
The former UFC middleweight champion is being targeted to return on July 30 at UFC 277 against former title challenger Paulo Costa. Both parties have verbally agreed on the matchup.
The news was first reported by ESPN on Saturday night and later confirmed by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.
Rockhold hasn’t competed since July 2019 when he made his debut at light heavyweight against Jan Blachowicz, who would go on to become UFC champion. Rockhold was knocked out in the second round of their contest. Prior to that, Rockhold had suffered a knockout loss to Yoel Romero. The 37-year-old last won in 2017, when he stopped former WSOF champion David Branch.
Meanwhile, Costa also looks to break inactivity. The Brazilian hasn’t competed since October 2021 when he suffered a decision loss to Marvin Vettori. Costa is also on a two-fight losing streak having lost to Israel Adesanya in a championship bout back in September 2020.
The latest UFC 277 lineup now includes:
- Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Anthony Smith
- Mariya Agapova vs. Ji Yeon Kim
- Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
