"He's got no clout right now" - Luke Rockhold asks Paulo Costa to stop running his mouth and fight him

Luke Rockhold is preparing to make his return in July. He also has an opponent in mind, Paulo Costa.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, the former UFC middleweight champion responded to Costa’s claims about his fragile jaw:

“If it's that fragile, come and test it. Come and step up. He’s got no clout right now. He’s got nothing to stand on. He needs a win, he needs to get back in the favor. He ain’t in no contendership fight for the title. He needs a fight, he needs a name. And you want to do it, let’s do it.”

Luke Rockhold admitted that the UFC has proposed a specific date for his return. It’s July 2, which would be almost three years since his last fight. Rockhold said that he’s ready to sign the deal and that Costa should step up:

“July second, International Fight Week. That’s what UFC offered. I’m ready to sign the contract, you’re making excuses. You’re b******g about the weight, you’re b******g about the fight. Look, I’m right here if it’s an easy fight, if it’s an easy win… Come and step up, it should be an easy win. You get yourself back in the limelight.”

Rockhold is a former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion. His last fight took place at UFC 239 on July 6, 2019. In the second round of his light heavyweight debut, he was knocked out by Jan Błachowicz.

Prior to this loss, he fought his last middleweight fight against Yoel Romero at UFC 221. He was knocked out by the Cuban in the third round in an interim middleweight title bout. However, Romero missed weight and was ineligible for the interim title.

Watch the entire interview below:

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Luke Rockhold’s unrealized comeback against Sean Strickland

Luke Rockhold was slated to make his return against Sean Strickland on November 6, 2021 at UFC 268. However, a month before the scheduled bout, Rockhold announced that a back injury had forced him to withdraw from the event.

This led to Strickland's accusations of the former champion ducking him, with 'Tarzan' suggesting that Rockhold never intended to take the fight in the first place.

Luke Rockhold disclosed on social media that he had a herniated disk in his back and that the doctor had advised rest. The former middleweight champion stated that he would need to get some treatment and apologized for withdrawing from the UFC 268 card.