"When the fight's over, he likes to go back and watch himself" - Chael Sonnen breaks down the one mistake he expects Luke Rockhold to make against Paulo Costa
Chael Sonnen recently broke down the UFC 278 middleweight fight between Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa. Sonnen, who lost two middleweight title fights, feels that Rockhold will make a mistake that gives his opponent an advantage.
The #UFC278 co-main between @BorrachinhaMMA vs @LukeRockhold promises to be πͺπ¨π΅'π» π΄π°πΊπΊ πΏ
[ Saturday | @VivintArena | @StateOfSport | Live on ESPN+ PPV: UFC.ac/3ISYefa ] https://t.co/bJwwC4MZMD
Luke Rockhold is a former middleweight champion. His UFC 278 matchup against Paulo Costa will be his first fight in over three years. Costa, currently the No.6-ranked middleweight, has lost his last two fights. He lost a middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya and followed it up with a loss against Marvin Vettori.
The latter fight would take place at light heavyweight due to Costa missing weight by nearly 20 pounds. While Costa was not punished outside of forfeiting 20 percent of his purse, Rockhold has expressed that he is worried Costa will miss weight again.
In his pre-fight breakdown on Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen explained why he believes Costa will emerge victorious (starting at the 1:53 mark):
"I'm picking Paulo Costa, but I'm not picking him necessarily because I believe that he's that much of a better fighter. I think that Luke is much better than you guys give Luke credit for. I think that Luke fights very dangerous at times."
Sonnen further elaborated by stating:
"Luke has an ability to grapple with the best of them. Luke has the ability to take somebody down. What we call wrestling that in between, he doesn't love to turn to that. Luke does like to punch and kick. When the fight's over, he likes to go back and watch himself. He likes to see some of that striking aspect. And when he does it, he leaves himself vulnerable."
Watch Chael Sonnen's full breakdown on Beyond The Fight below:
Luke Rockhold calls the UFC out over fighter pay
Luke Rockhold has been with the UFC for nearly a decade, even winning the middleweight belt in that span. He is unhappy, however, with how the UFC conducts business in regards to paying fighters.
Rockhold appeared on The MMA Hour, where he called out UFC President Dana White. Rockhold used his UFC 278 media day appearance to double down on his claims, targeting the UFC, and White specifically once again.
Luke Rockhold just *went off* on UFC fighter pay, bonus structure and health care at #UFC278 media day. π£οΈ
Full interview: bit.ly/3dAmmrl https://t.co/mQkka2PPDj
Rockhold stated that other fighters may be scared to speak out due to potential repercussions that could deny them a title shot. He noted that he is not fearful of the possible punishment, as he has already accomplished those goals.