The image of a broken-but-not-beaten Luke Rockhold rubbing his bloodied face all over Paulo Costa in the dying moments of their UFC 278 fight will live on in MMA infamy. After the fight, Costa described the experience as “very disgusting”, claiming that he did not realize Rockhold was smearing blood all over him. “I didn’t see it in the moment of the fight.
I just felt something on my face, but I was so worried about blocking his arms to not get elbowed in the face and punched. But I felt something. Now, when I saw, it’s a very disgusting scene. It’s a very weird moment.”
Costa’s Reaction to “Disgusting” Final Moment in Rockhold Fight
Costa compared the moment to another bizarre highlight of Rockhold’s career, a kiss with Yoel Romero. “I saw the moment where [Yoel] Romero kisses [Rockhold] after beating him.
That was the weirdest moment that I had seen, but this beat that moment. I don’t know why Luke did that. Maybe he was so frustrated and angry because he was losing the fight. But I took a very long shower after the fight.”
Paulo Costa earned a decision win on Saturday night, but spent much of the latter half of the bout expecting his opponent to quit. Visibly exhausted, chest heaving, and streaming blood from his face, Luke Rockhold never looked more than a few moments away from unconsciousness. Despite this, he continued fighting to the final bell, rocking Costa several times, and even sweeping Costa during one of the match’s final grappling exchanges.
“Yes, I thought when I saw him put his hands on his knees and show how tired he was, I thought maybe this guy won’t finish the last moment of the third round.
But some way, he put me there, and maybe I didn’t pressure him a lot. I let him survive a little bit, just getting points round by round.”
UFC 278 marked the final fight on Paulo Costa’s UFC contract. Luke Rockhold announced his own retirement in the ring, simply declaring on the mic that he is “too f***ing old” to continue competing. Although Dana White expressed interest in re-signing Costa to the UFC, Costa is now a free agent, and as a top-ranked middleweight he could fight anywhere he wanted.
What was your reaction to Luke Rockhold smearing his own blood all over Paulo Costa’s face as his final act in his final fight? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
