Paul Costa’s front game against Luke Rockhold was nothing short of bizarre. Costa said Rockhold was getting old, and that Rockhold mainly complained about the UFC. But overall, many expected it to be a quick bout, with Costa raising his hands at the end of the night.
This didn’t quite happen.
Costa took control of the fight early, dropped Rockhold early and scrambled. Costa controlled most of the round, but Rockhold put a series of body kicks on Costa and they ended the round. Costa didn’t get the first-round results many thought he would, and now fans are wondering if Costa’s cardio can last two more rounds.
Rockhold, looking very tired, opened his mouth and put his hands on his knees when he heard the bell. “He’s tired,” he told his coach before the second bell rang.
Rockhold came out like a rookie landing body kicks and knockouts, but the onslaught didn’t last long and Costa took back control of the round. Rockhold then fought back foot after foot, and Costa was now fighting with his mouth open. Both looked tired as they landed huge shots at the cage.
The game was briefly interrupted and the referee warned Lockhold to watch his fingers and they re-entered the round with just over two minutes left.
At the start of the game, Costa took a swipe in the groin and fell to Rockhold, and the game started, and Costa began to celebrate. As Costa sat on the canvas during his recovery, Lockhold wiped the blood from his face. The battle was nothing short of chaos.
This time it started all over again, with a little over 1:30 left in the second round. They exchanged shots again to end the round.
The third and final round was as sloppy and wild as we’ve ever seen. They exchanged strikes, each hoping to drop the other and end the pain of the fight. Clearly, they were both exhausted. With three minutes remaining, Rockhold tripped over his facial plant and Costa lunged at him until Rockhold reversed, then rubbed his blood on Costa’s face.
There is no loss of love between these two, it is clear.
It went into the scorecard and Costa’s victory was clear.
