The co-main event of UFC 278 featured a wild fight between middleweights Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold, and it ended up being the end of the road for the former middleweight champion.
The bout got off to a surprising start when Costa landed a takedown on Rockhold, who many expected would hold the advantage should the fight go to the ground. Although Rockhold got to his feet after briefly being mounted, the 37-year-old had his hands on his knees as the round ended.
The former champion’s body language didn’t improve in between rounds, which set up rounds 2 and 3 where Rockhold alternated between looking extremely tired and throwing huge counter strikes. The fight briefly appeared over when Rockhold went down from an apparent body shot, only for the action to pause when referee Mike Beltran indicated it was a low blow.
Despite looking absolutely drained, Rockhold continued having moments of success throughout the rest of the bout. The former champion even managed to end the fight in top position while appearing to purposely smear his blood all over his Brazilian opponent.
Costa had clearly been the more active fighter and had largely controlled the Octagon, and “The Eraser” earned the unanimous decision in one of the wildest fights in recent memory.
Rockhold removed his gloves while Costa was interviewed, and the 37-year-old indicated it was the end of the road in his own interview with Joe Rogan.
MMA Twitter Reacts To Rockhold’s Final Fight
Although Costa walked away the victor, much of the discussion online was understandably focused on Rockhold’s retirement and the tremendous heart he showed in his final bout.
Rockhold’s retirement comes following an MMA career that began in 2007 and saw him capture both the Strikeforce and UFC middleweight titles.
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