"There's a lot of cheap a** motherfu****s in this game" - Luke Rockhold expresses distaste at fighters not making weight and his concerns about Paulo Costa missing weight for the upcoming bout
![Paulo Costa (left) and Luke Rockhold (right) [Images via Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/08/8779b-16607731889470-1920.jpg?w=500)
Luke Rockhold is anxious about upcoming opponent Paulo Costa missing weight. The Brazilian last fought Marvin Vettori and missed weight massively, forcing the fight to be moved from middleweight to light heavyweight.
Paulo Costa 
Luke Rockhold 
Buzzing for this one!
🇧🇷 Paulo Costa 🆚 Luke Rockhold 🇺🇸
A fascinating middleweight encounter at #UFC278... Who ya got? https://t.co/ZraDDGjmOn
Rockhold is coming off a three-year layoff and doesn't need any more possible distractions. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the former middleweight champion had this to say about Costa potentially missing weight:
"He missed weight twice [against Vettori]. He was trying to gain an advantage. I'm not here to fight on unfair terms. So, I want this motherf****r to make weight, or we're gonna make the same exact weight. F**K this s**t. It's gotta be right. It's gotta be fair... Yoel Romero missed weight for a reason, to gain an advantage... There's a lot of cheap a** motherfu****s in this game. I'm not here for that cheapness anymore."
Rockhold was referring to his last fight at middleweight, where Yoel Romero missed weight for their interim title matchup and then won by knockout in the first round. The California native has been around the block, and it seems he's not willing to play the games Costa forced on Vettori.
Watch Luke Rockhold's interview and more on The MMA Hour below:
Luke Rockhold lashes out on the UFC being 'a mafia'
Rockhold has not been shy about calling the UFC out for fighter pay and mismanagement from personal experience. During the same episode, Helwani asked the former champion about fighting with hate in the past, and he had this to say:
"After losing the title, you get disrespected. This is a mafia, the UFC... There's no rhyme or reason in this game. When you lose your leverage, these people try to step on you, and then you fight back, and it's a constant fight."
Some media members have questioned whether Rockhold will get a title shot if he beats Costa. Israel Adesanya will have run out of title contenders if he beats Alex Pereira, but the UFC wouldn't want one of their champions talking badly about them. Before worrying about a title shot, the Californian needs to make a statement at UFC 278.
Luke Rockhold just *went off* on UFC fighter pay, bonus structure and health care at #UFC278 media day. 🗣️
Full interview: bit.ly/3dAmmrl https://t.co/mQkka2PPDj