"I was in there with a lesser man and wanted to show him you're my b**ch" - Luke Rockhold explains bizarre blood smearing move against Paulo Costa

Luke Rockhold fought Paulo Costa in the co-main event of UFC 278 last Saturday. In a fight that saw him return to the octagon after three years, Rockhold put on a 'Fight of the Night' effort with his Brazilian adversary. However, the former middleweight champion left fans amused and confused when he appeared to rub his blood on Costa's face towards the end of their fight.

ROCKHOLD RUBBED HIS BLOOD ON COSTA 😦 #UFC278 https://t.co/I1CeGGkUWz

In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Rockhold explained why he chose to undertake this seemingly bizarre action in what is now his last pro fight:

"That's just 'f*** you'... I remember just talking back and forth... When somebody's point fighting and someone's going for the kill, there's a difference. I felt like I was there to kill or be killed and he was out there trying to get by... I just felt like I was in there with a lesser man and wanted to show him 'you're my b****.'"

Rockhold posted on Instagram a day later, stating that the Brazilian was still his "b****." While Costa won his first fight in three years, there were moments Rockhold felt he could have secured a finish, including a rushed mount position attempt, which led to him making crucial mistakes in the hopes of earning a stoppage win.

After the bout, the 37-year-old announced his retirement from the sport, stating that he was "too old" to compete in the octagon anymore. Luke Rockhold’s UFC career highlight was winning the middleweight title at UFC 194 in 2015 by beating Chris Weidman. He also recorded wins over Lyoto Machida and former champion Michael Bisping.

Watch Luke Rockhold address the incident at 16:45 in the video below:

Paulo Costa reacts to 'very disgusting' and 'weird moment' by Luke Rockhold at UFC 278

Costa admitted that he didn’t realize what was happening during the fight but felt it when Rockhold started smearing blood on his face. In the UFC 278 post-fight press conference, the Brazilian explained his version of how the infamous moment panned out:

“I didn’t see in the moment of the fight – I just felt something on my face. I was so worried on blocking his arms so I don’t get elbowed on the face or punched, but I felt something. Now, when I saw (the replay), it’s very disgusting. It’s a weird moment... I don’t know why Rockhold did that. Maybe he did that because he was so frustrated, maybe angry because he was losing the fight. But I took a very long shower after the fight.”

The Brazilian entered the fight after back-to-back losses to Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. He also revealed that he has only one fight left on his contract and will make his next move depending on how the negotiations go.

Watch Paulo Costa talk about the incident with Luke Rockhold below: