Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has become increasingly frustrated with Paulo Costa allegedly delaying their fight.
Rockhold was set to face Costa at the upcoming UFC 277 pay-per-view card on July 30. The card is set to be headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes.
Rockhold was booked to face Sean Strickland at UFC 268 last November before suffering a herniated disc. He hasn’t fought in the Octagon since a loss to Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight in July 2019.
While fans are excited about the Rockhold/Costa matchup, it sounds like it may be pushed back once again.
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Rockhold revealed the hurdles behind his booked matchup with Costa.
“It’s been a headache and a process,” Rockhold admitted. “I don’t know what he’s doing behind the scenes, getting veneers, or his whole face re-done; getting a new nose, what’s next? I think he’s getting all this cosmetic stuff probably, something. I don’t know what’s going on because he keeps delaying. He might come out looking like Caitlyn Jenner, you never know.[LAUGHS].
“He’s trying to delay the fight again to August 20. This guy, something’s going on behind the scenes, I don’t know what you’re doing over there Caitlyn… The contract was signed and now he’s trying to move it again, making room for all these new details that he’s working on, maybe a new booty, you never know.”
Rockhold went on to give the latest update on when the previously scheduled UFC 277 fight will take place.
“It was meant to be July 2, and then I think he had his first surgery. Then it was July 30, and then I think he was on the second or third,” Rockhold said. “Then they pushed it to August 20… He’s proven that he’s just a f*cking boy. This is the last straw (August 20).”
The UFC 278 pay-per-view on August 20th doesn’t have a main event bout yet but is rumored to take place in Salt Lake City, UT. The promotion has yet to formally announce a planned rescheduling for Rockhold/Costa but has removed the bout from the UFC 277 card on their website.
Costa is looking to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses to Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya. Before that, he was undefeated in his professional career with wins over the likes of Johny Hendricks and Yoel Romero.
After Costa’s weight-cutting debacle leading up to his Vettori fight, fans and pundits have grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected with the former middleweight title challenger. But Rockhold remains hopeful that the fight will take place sooner rather than later.
What are your thoughts on Luke Rockhold’s comments?
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