"He can beat up all the dudes and he can take your girl" - Chael Sonnen details the consequences of Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa both being "heels" in their match-up
Chael Sonnen has analyzed the possible outcomes of the co-main event between Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold.
In a new episode of the Beyond the Fight podcast, Sonnen revealed that both fighters will go into the fight as "heels," with the hopes of one of them getting the crowd on their side during the fight. He said:
"Luke is a heel, make no mistake. Largely, because he's handsome and kick everybody's a**. I mean he's got the two things that every guy wants. He can beat up all the dudes and he can take your girl. You're going to be a heel. Paulo Costa's got the same thing. It's just one of these things. So, you now have two heels. If you can be a cool bad guy, it's huge. But, you still have two bad guys."
Sonnen continued by talking about how both fighters will want to get the crowd on their side:
"You have two heels. Generally, in these situations, one guy flips to face, because neither guy wants to be booed, they just are. They wanted to be liked, but they were just doofuses and people saw it and started booing. It's an opportunity for one of them to get what they really want, which is the approval of the crowd. Neither guy is seeking it."
The fight was initially scheduled for UFC 277, but was postponed until later this month. Since then, Costa and Rockhold have exchanged words on multiple occasions, with Rockhold accusing the Brazilian of using PEDs in his career. Costa hit back stating that he plans to retire the 37-year-old with a dominant win this Saturday.
Watch Chael Sonnen talk about Luke Rockhold-Paulo Costa below:
Luke Rockhold enters as massive underdog ahead of co-main event at UFC 278
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t fought in the octagon since his knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz in July 2019, while Costa is coming off the back of a unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori at UFC 196.
Luke Rockhold has lost three of his last four fights, with his last win coming almost five years ago. The Brazilian will aim to move back to winning ways after suffering consecutive losses for the first time in his UFC career. Despite an impressive start with five wins on the bounce, Costa looked second-best during his fights against Israel Adesanya and Vettori.
With Costa revealing that this fight will be the last on his contract, he will have a massive point to prove. Rockhold, however, knows that at this stage of his career, opportunities are limited and an upset over Costa could stun the world and put him back into title contention.
Watch the duo clash at the UFC 278 ceremonial weigh-ins below: