"They're both loose cannons" - Dana White discloses which fight he sees getting the Fight of the Night bonus at UFC 278

Dana White names the matchup that could steal the show at UFC 278 [UFC 278 fight card image via @btsportufc on Twitter]

Dana White feels that the middleweight clash between Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold could steal the spotlight at the upcoming UFC 278 pay-per-view. Costa and Rockhold are set to collide in a fight that will co-headline the event, which is set to take place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 20.

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Heading into the fight, there have been some heated verbal exchanges between the two fighters. If they can bring the same aggression inside the cage, White believes Costa and Rockhold could end up securing Fight of the Night honors.

During an interaction with BT Sport, White said:

"They're both loose cannons. They've been saying, you know, nutty all week and acting nutty all week and it's the fight that everybody's crazy about, you know. If these two come out tomorrow and do what they should do or do what they've been acting like this whole week, this should be the fight of the night."

Watch the interview below:

Both Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa are in dire need of a win at UFC 278

There is a lot at stake for Rockhold and Costa at UFC 278. Both men have suffered back-to-back defeats in their last two fights and need to win to remain relevant as contenders in the middleweight division. It's not a stretch to say that a win will land either man in the title picture.

Rockhold will be returning to the cage after an absence of three years as he embarks on his quest to recapture the middleweight throne. A win over Costa would go a long way to establishing himself as a legitimate contender. In his last fight in 2019, Rockhold suffered a devastating knockout loss against Jan Blachowicz. It was his debut in the light heavyweight division.

Costa, meanwhile, has already fought for the title once and suffered a knockout loss to Israel Adesanya. The Brazilian was then involved in a back-and-forth battle with Marvin Vettori and although he put up a valiant effort, Costa ended up losing via unanimous decision.

Prior to the loss against Adesanya, Costa was on a five-fight win streak inside the octagon. He will be looking to get back to winning ways when he shares the cage with Rockhold this weekend.

Dana White wouldn’t let Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold get close at the final faceoff #UFC278 https://t.co/kzstyHcfbV