"Some people live by the code of ain't cheating, ain't trying" - Luke Rockhold give his honest thoughts on Daniel Cormier admitting to 'towel-gate'

Luke Rockhold (L) talks about the infamous 'towelgate' incident with former teammate Daniel Cormier (R) [Credits: MMAFighting/Twitter, Getty]]

Luke Rockhold has delivered his say on Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier's infamous 'towel-gate' ahead of his fight against Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 back in 2017.

In a new interview with The Schmo, Rockhold spoke about the incident using an interesting quote to describe the former champion's weigh-in.

"Some people live by the code of, 'He ain't cheating, he ain't trying.' DC has always been one of those guys. I've lived with the guy day-to-day for years. I know what it's like. For me, I don't cut corners, I go straight for the jugular."

Ahead of his second light heavyweight title defense in 2017, Cormier was well above the 205-pound limit on his initial attempt, resulting in a potential stripping of his belt. However, moments later Cormier stunned the world by shedding his clothes and standing behind a towel to make weight, eventually going on to beat Johnson in the main event.

In his Hall of Fame induction speech in July, Cormier admitted to holding the towel to assist him while also admitting that fate was on his side because the New York Athletic Commission failed to notice that he touched the towel before reading out his official weight.

Remember Towelgate? Well that's good, because Daniel Cormier's (@dc_mma) memory of it is a little hazy... https://t.co/UWGZQxaEvG

Meanwhile, Cormier's former AKA teammate Luke Rockhold is set to make his long-awaited return to the octagon against Paulo Costa at UFC 278 this week. The former middleweight champion's last fight was a stoppage loss against Jan Blachowicz, moving up to the light heavyweight division at UFC 239 in 2019.

Watch Luke Rockhold discuss the Cormier incident below:

Daniel Cormier not sure as to why Luke Rockhold wants to fight Paulo Costa

Cormier questioned Rockhold's desire to fight Paulo Costa before the fight was made official. In an episode of the DC & RC show back in February, the 43-year-old also admitted that Costa will be a dangerous threat for the returning American.

"I don't quite understand why he [Rockhold] wants that fight so bad. I don't know what Luke has seen in Paulo Costa over the course of the last few fights that makes him want that fight so much. Is it a winnable fight? Absolutely. But is there a lot of danger in that fight? Absolutely. We've seen Paulo Costa at his best."

Rockhold has lost 3 of his 4 fights, with his last win dating back to 2017 against David Branch. Paulo Costa, on the other hand, has been dominant in the middleweight division despite consecutive losses to Marvin Vettori and champion Israel Adesanya in his last two outings.

The veteran will have his work cut out as he makes his eagerly anticipated return against the Brazilian.

Watch Cormier discuss the Rockhold-Costa match-up below: