"He might be weighing more than Paulo Costa" - Luke Rockhold looking forward to wrestling with Khabib Nurmagomedov
According to Luke Rockhold, Khabib Nurmagomedov might be heavier than Paulo Costa as of now. Preparing for a return to the octagon against 'Borrachinha', the former UFC middleweight champ is eager to scrap with Nurmagomedov on the mats.
Rockhold believes Costa will be easy work for him on fight night if he can grapple with 'The Eagle' in training camp. A staple of the AKA gym in San Jose, the 37-year-old is currently training at the RVCA gym in Costa Mesa, California.
However, Rockhold did not pin down the RVCA as the base for his camp and revealed his plans to juggle around. The former UFC middleweight champ recently told The Schmo:
"The world is my oyster, I'm a f***ing gypsy. And I love it here, I love it here with the boys. My boy Chito [Marlon Vera] over there [points], he's got some little triceps working. And you know [Jason] Parillo, and all the boys. But I'm mixing up. I gotta get my wrestling in and so I'm gonna go work with Khabib this week, maybe Florida. I mean I gotta go with the winds, go with the tide... He might be weighing more than Paulo Costa. He's like perfect, if I can wrestle him, easy weasy work with Paulo."
Catch Rockhold's interview with The Schmo below:
Luke Rockhold blasts Paulo Costa for moving fight to August
Luke Rockhold was originally expected to return against Paulo Costa in July. However, the former UFC middleweight champ now claims that the fight is likely to happen in August.
While Rockhold blames Costa for the delay, he is willing to wait to lay his hands on 'Borrachinha'. The 37-year-old further told The Schmo:
"Paulo Costa is pathetic. And kid needs to sign the contract and agree to the weight, agree to the fight, agree to the date, agree to the dance. And, let’s go. There’s always been questions. It was July 2nd, it was July 30th. Now, this b*tch is trying to move it to f**king August. I would say, I am sick, I am tired of just f**king thus sh*t. I really want to beat that f**kers a*s, so we’re going to August.”
Luke Rockhold last competed at UFC 239 against Jan Blachowicz where he suffered a second-round TKO loss. The former middleweight champ decided to end his retirement back in August 2020 and has been eyeing comeback options since.
Considering how the landscape of the middleweight division has drastically changed since he was champion, Rockhold will be looking to prove to the world that he still deserves to compete at the highest level of the sport.