Luke Rockhold’s return to mixed martial arts proved to be short lived.
The former UFC and Strikefore middleweight champion announced his retirement following a unanimous decision defeat to Paulo Costa in the UFC 278 co-main event at Vinvint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday night.
“I’ve been through so much the last few years,” Rockhold said in his post-fight interview. “I f—king … thank you, fighting. Thank you, UFC. Thank you, Joe [Rogan]. I f—-king can’t do this s—t any more. I gave it my all. I just didn’t … I’m f—ing old.”
Rockhold was bloodied and battered in his matchup with Costa, and his body language was concerning on multiple occasions. Still, the longtime American Kickboxing Academy product had his moments, as he landed multiple body kicks and tagged Costa with a hard left hand in the third round. He ended the fight by reversing out of a rear-naked choke and rubbing his bloody face all over Costa from top position. It was Rockhold’s first appearance since July 2019.
The 37-year-old Californian exits the sport with a 16-6 career record. He won nine consecutive fights under the Strikeforce banner, capturing 185-pound gold with a five-round verdict against Ronaldo Souza and defending the crown with triumphs over Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy. His UFC tenure included victories over the likes of Michael Bisping, Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman, the last of which earned him another championship belt. He relinquished the crown in a shocking upset loss to Bisping in their rematch at UFC 199, the start of a stretch in which he lost four of his final five fights.
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