‘He Scares Me’

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold does not have anything nice to say about Brazilian bruiser Paulo Costa ahead of their UFC 278 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Sat. night (Aug. 20, 2022), which takes place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

But he does understand “The Eraser” is a very dangerous opponent.

“Really, truly, he scares me,” Rockhold said on Episode 5 of the UFC 278 “Embedded” video series. “He’s one of the top elite guys and for me, I’m always going straight for the jugular. I’m gonna come back to do this thing and I’m gonna do it right. I need a guy that’s gonna get me up outta bed, that’s gonna scare me into working my ass off and pushing myself to be the best I can be.”

Rockhold (16-5) will be competing for the first time in over three years and needs to have a breakout performance if he hopes to prove he’s still a force to be reckoned with at 185 pounds. The former Strikeforce champ turns 38 in October and has lost three of his last four, all by way of knockout.

Watch their heated face off at the UFC 278 press conference right here.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 278 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 278: “Usman vs. Edwards 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 278 fight card and PPV line up click here.