"Who knows which one we're gonna see"- Jared Cannonier gives his take on the upcoming Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa fight
Jared Cannonier has weighed in on the upcoming Luke Rockhold vs. Paulo Costa matchup. In an edition of MMA Pros Pick with James Lynch, Cannonier alluded to the fact that former UFC middleweight champion Rockhold hasn’t competed since 2019.
On that note, he insinuated that we don’t know what version of the former champion would turn up against Costa. Nevertheless, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ acknowledged that akin to how Israel Adesanya out-struck and TKO'd an aggressive Costa with his technical striking, Rockhold could do the same.
Additionally, he asserted that the Luke Rockhold vs. Paulo Costa matchup is a tough one to predict for him. Cannonier stated:
“I mean, we haven’t seen Luke Rockhold fight in a while. So, who knows which one we’re gonna see. We’re gonna see former champion on the horizon Rockhold or, you know, who gets touched by Paulo Costa and just falls flat, right? So, Paulo Costa is explosive, man, and powerful.”
He further added:
“So, but I don’t want to give an answer to either one, because I can’t really give the answer to either one in that one, because I’m sure he’d know how to deal with an aggressive Paulo Costa. And if he sits back, if Paulo Costa sits back like he did against Israel Adesanya, it may go the same way as it did in that fight.” [sic]
Watch Cannonier discuss the topic at 1:15 in the video below:
Jared Cannonier and other MMA fighters on the stylistic clash between Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa
Jared Cannonier is scheduled to face Sean Strickland in the headlining bout of the UFC Fight Night event that’s set to transpire on October 15. Meanwhile, Luke Rockhold will make his long-awaited return to the octagon against Paulo Costa in a middleweight matchup at UFC 278 on August 20.
Interestingly, the vast majority of MMA fans and experts appear to be hailing Rockhold as a better and much more skilled fighter than Costa. However, Rockhold’s poor striking defense and questionable chin might come back to haunt him against a powerful striker like Costa.
As seen in the MMA Pros Pick video, fighters such as Anthony Smith and Gerald Meerschaert suggest that Rockhold is a better fighter than Costa but needs to be wary of the Brazilian’s power. Pointing out that Rockhold could pick Costa apart with his kicks at long range, Meerschaert said:
“If he [Rockhold] lands one of those [kicks] clean – you know, we’ve seen Costa get kind of lazy as of late, as far as his general style and plodding around. I think he [Rockhold] could definitely finish him.”