- Luke Rockhold thinks he is next in line for a title shot after beating Paulo Costa.
- Rockhold lays out the only way he sees Nate Diaz beating Khamzat Chimaev.
Luke Rockhold is ready to make his return to the UFC after three years away. The former champion will be taking on the number six ranked Paulo Costa this weekend at UFC 278. Rockhold has a tough test ahead of him in Costa but if he is victorious, Rockhold believes he should be next in line for a title shot.
There will be a middleweight title fight later this year between champion Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, after that fight plays out, Rockhold will be waiting. He explained in an interview with Helen Yee that he plans on waiting for his turn.
“Next,” Rockhold said when asked about his title shot plans. “I’m not going to do anything else. If I don’t get it. They don’t get it.”
Rockhold gives his thoughts on the fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz
There are however other fighters that could jump in front of Rockhold in terms of title contenders, one of which is Khamzat Chimaev. The rising star, Chimaev has been quickly moving up the rankings since his debut in 2020. He will be taking on a veteran of the sport, Nate Diaz, next in a fight that many believe is a mismatch. Rockhold explained his theory on the only way Diaz could win that fight.
“Outlast him, I mean, that’s what Nate Diaz does best, right? He waits to the end and you know, takes the punishment and tries to find his opening,” he said, “They’re so relaxed the boys and I think that that plays to their advantage in the later stages of the fight and that’s really, the only way I see him winning this fight.”
For Rockhold’s plan to be possible he must first get past Costa on Saturday night. Costa is coming off two losses in a row, one to the champion and one to Marvin Vettori at light heavyweight. Also, the outside factors in the fight between Chimaev and Diaz and the championship bout at UFC 281 could determine Rockhold’s fate. The task ahead of him as the co-main event of UFC 278 is the number one priority at this time. UFC 278 will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards.
