Luke Rockhold may not have had the gas tank Saturday in Salt Lake City – but he certainly had the heart.
In the UFC 278 middleweight co-main event, Rockhold (16-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) lost to Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Vivint Arena.
The bout was blood-and-guts, with each man’s heart on full display. After Costa was named the winner, an emotional Rockhold indicated the war likely will be his final fight.
“I’ve been through so much the last few years,” Rockhold, a gloveless said as tears flowed. “I f*cking … thank you, fighting. Thank you, UFC. Thank you, Joe (Rogan). I f*cking can’t do this sh*t any more. I gave it my all. I just didn’t … I’m f*cking old.”
Rockhold, 37, had not competed in a little more than three years prior to UFC 278 – and hadn’t won in five. If UFC 278 turns out to be his final fight, he’ll have finished with four losses in his last five fights.
A former Strikeforce and UFC champion, Rockhold was a key member in the rise of American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). He holds wins over numerous UFC notables including Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida, Michael Bisping and Ronaldo Souza.
Entering UFC 278, a disgruntled Rockhold openly criticized the UFC for a number of issues including fighter pay and healthcare. UFC president Dana White later called the complaints “gibberish.”
The fight itself was action-packed from the start, as Costa came out strong with some big strikes before he secured a takedown. Rockhold returned to the feet, noticeably exhausted with blood pouring out his nose. Rockhold breathed heavy in and out of his mouth, but found success with single-strike combinations. At the end of Round 1, Rockhold crouched down and put his hands on his knees – beat tired.
The second round began and Rockhold came out guns blazing. He found some success with his body kicks and even though his volume decreased, his accuracy increased. A low blow by Costa halted the action briefly. Rockhold only used about 90 seconds of the allotted five minutes, though caught some of his win during that short time.
In Round 3, Rockhold dug deep. On the brink of exhaustion, he still found the strength to scream expletives at Costa before landing his most rocking punch of the fight. After a wobbly Costa scored a takedown, Rockhold reverses position. Both men bleed all over each other, magnified by Rockhold purposely smearing the layer of blood all over Costa. The crowd exploded at the conclusion of the fight.
Name this move 🩸 #UFC278 pic.twitter.com/kPNoXTkfJS
— UFC (@ufc) August 21, 2022
The victory is Costa’s first in three years, though only his third fight in that period of time. He entered UFC 278 on the heels of back-to-back losses to Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori.
As for Rockhold, the fight was his first in three years and extended his losing skid to three. His most recent win came in September 2017 when he defeated David Branch by TKO. Since then, he’s lost four of five appearances with knockout defeats in each.
Went out on his shield like always, a warrior to the very end! 👏@LukeRockhold calls it a career as a former Strikeforce & UFC champion, a legend of the game! #UFC278 pic.twitter.com/7dGYEH3ljf
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 21, 2022
Caught a special moment between Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold after the fight. #UFC278 pic.twitter.com/17bnsAEdTv
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) August 21, 2022
Up-to-the-minute UFC 278 results include:
- Paulo Costa def. Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Jose Aldo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Lucie Pudilova def. Wu Yanan via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:04
- Tyson Pedro def. Harry Hunsucker via TKO (front kick, punches) – Round 1, 1:05
- Marcin Tybura def. Alexandr Romanov via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
- Jared Gordon def. Leonardo Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Luis Saldana vs. Sean Woodson declared split draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)
- Ange Loosa def. A.J. Fletcher via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Amir Albazi def. Francisco Figueiredo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:34
- Aori Qileng def. Jay Perrin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Victor Altamirano def. Daniel Da Silva via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:39
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.
