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There is currently speculation around Luke Rockhold's imminent return to active competition. Rumors have suggested that the 37-year-old's comeback fight will be against the heavy-hitting Paulo Costa.
Rockhold even went off on Costa during a recent interview. However, Michael Bisping doesn't think the Brazilian is a wise call-out for the former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion.
Coming in with a point to prove after his loss to Marvin Vettori, Paulo Costa is a dangerous brawler. Michael Bisping shared his thoughts in a video, explaining that this might not be the best of matchups for Rockhold:
"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."
The retired middleweight went on to express his excitement at the possible matchup. He believes this is the perfect fight to make for all parties going forward.
Check out Bisping's thoughts on Rockhold vs. Costa below:
Does the Luke Rockhold vs. Paulo Costa fight make sense?
Luke Rockhold is returning to the middleweight division after an unsuccessful one-fight stint at light heavyweight. While he has not enjoyed the best of times in the octagon in recent years, Rockhold is one of the greatest to ever compete at 185lbs. He will likely remain a problem for most fighters in and around his weight class.
Paulo Costa, however, is no joke. Although 'Borrachinha' is coming off a two-fight skid that dropped his record to 13-2, the South American is a constant threat to anyone on the feet.
The power he generates alongside his slick striking has earned Costa 11 knockout victories throughout his MMA career. Coupled with the fact that all five of Rockhold's losses came via KO means this could be problematic for the American.
Both fighters will be desperate to get back to winning ways. As they both push for a titleshot, we could possibly see this go down sometime in June.
Check out Luke Rockhold's thoughts on Paulo Costa below:
