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Daniel Cormier believes that Luke Rockhold is capable of beating Paulo Costa. However, the 42-year-old feels that a fight against 'Borrachinha' is fraught with danger for the former middleweight champion.
Rockhold dethroned the undefeated Chris Weidman at UFC 194 to capture the 185 lbs title. However, he has lost three out of his last four fights since then and hasn't fought since 2019. The California native recently declared that he is eager to return to the octagon and is eyeing a fight with Costa.
During a recent episode of the DC & RC show, Cormier affirmed his belief in Rockhold. However, the former two-division champion is unsure if Costa is the right opponent for his longtime friend. He said:
"I don't quite understand why he [Rockhold] wants that fight so bad. I don't know what Luke has seen in Paulo Costa over the course of the last few fights that makes him want that fight so much. Is it a winnable fight? Absolutely. But is there a lot of danger in that fight? Absolutely. We've seen Paulo Costa at his best. And even when we've seen him lose his last fight at 205, he still looked pretty good."
Watch the latest episode of DC & RC below:
Michael Bisping comments on Luke Rockhold calling out Paulo Costa
Michael Bisping used to have a heated rivalry with Luke Rockhold, with the duo having fought one another on two occasions. After losing their first fight in 2014 via submission, Bisping won their rematch at UFC 199 to get his hands on the middleweight championship. However, the two men now appear to have put their differences behind them.
In a clip posted to his YouTube channel, Bisping stated that a fight against Paulo Costa would be a risky proposition. The Englishman is unsure if Rockhold should return in a fight against one of the hardest hitters in the 185 lbs division. 'The Count' said:
"He's going to be coming into this one extremely motivated, and Paulo hits hard... It's a tough fight for both men, but Luke is going in there with one of the hardest hitters... Paulo is a f*****g hard hitting motherf*****. He has a lot of power in those hands. So for Luke coming back against one of the big power punchers, one of the heaviest hitters that the middleweight division has, that's always going to be a little bit risky."
Check out Bisping's comments on a potential clash between Rockhold and Costa below:
Although he hasn't enjoyed much success in the octagon of late, Luke Rockhold will undoubtedly go down as a legendary middleweight. If he wants to make another run for the UFC middleweight title, a win over Costa will put him in a promising position.
