Luke Rockhold Cheated at UFC 278- Paulo Costa

By: David Smith Image Credit: UFC

[{"selector":"#anim-fde4a75c-ca31-4693-9848-7c695842a692 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-48.744419546860094%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c86eed63-0b62-4849-b365-ae6569122653","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4b0400b4-8ba1-4927-af4d-15085ea2ab29","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-24da0085-c763-45b7-a7d7-6142d5a0e981","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(30deg) translate3d(0px, -86.73188%, 0) rotate(-30deg)","rotate(30deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(-30deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fff388ce-a57a-493c-9063-836284aa1b71","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":900,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke In one of the best fights of the year, Paulo Costa went to war with the former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold in the co-main event of UFC 278. Image Courtesy: UFC

[{"selector":"#anim-b5e66bce-6701-4b2b-a2df-d34c5a60c4b7 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-7.714285735952053%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2c06f045-6df8-4c7c-bfb4-2fa4d53a068c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8bede12a-219e-4b29-a084-8b7f639acb33","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-100%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1c41206a-d54b-4706-8331-dc86a8548030","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ebe31a90-240e-4deb-b433-30f054776a53","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-122.72727%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Paulo Costa won the fight by unanimous decision. But, Luke Rockhold impressed the fans with his grit. The former champ gassed out after an action-packed round 1.

[{"selector":"#anim-3db8ef9b-7a9b-4ea5-853b-8f33af8a323d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-22.85048073619234%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cbe78965-ec10-4520-9142-b94c2ce7c53d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b318fa79-64cc-4eef-bf9a-65bcc52d8673","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-147.27273%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-da9b5367-f2c0-4913-a543-b0ab00f96268","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":900,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-77c1e582-6b22-42fc-9947-f1f7017bca59","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-828368e6-faf0-4198-9bf8-99a9adddc67e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-125.17483%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] However, Rockhold managed to survive rounds 2 and 3, which was not expected going into the fight. Many fans believed Costa would finish Rockhold early in the fight.

[{"selector":"#anim-94acd57e-a336-439d-a91f-8635aeee4218","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7910cf53-19ea-4faa-8e84-cd8b851d2ff3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-59410387-3185-40e8-a624-22cdafcafac1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 164.29123%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":500,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Following the fight, Paulo Costa accused Luke Rockhold of cheating in the fight. Costa claimed that Rockhold faked a groin shot and earned valuable time to recover after the referee intervened.

[{"selector":"#anim-77e4b37a-8ba5-4453-b8be-f1b86e8f1075","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f7dd2413-32db-4d69-a2cb-5cbe59164a66","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-147.27273%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b6bd6316-6407-4ed6-a124-28c228dbebc9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":900,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8f26cf62-f05a-4b63-b4a5-93c20ddd04a8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a125aa66-2a9d-4da5-8197-899fd77f1af3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-124.82517%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Costa is confident that he knocked Rockhold out with a legal body shot. And the fight should have stopped there instead of the referee giving the benefits of doubts to Rockhold and allowing him to recover.

[{"selector":"#anim-3db0f0f7-c764-48ed-9192-81ef52bc6e87","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5d17c98c-3685-4ea6-aaab-0948217b4223","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-144.09091%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-eea5d498-b1c3-4c9c-b50e-bfe41754ae70","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":900,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-217731c1-d4ae-4ab0-a127-426a9a6c070b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e37b2d3c-99fd-481a-bd04-b9b2b6f6db06","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-122.02797%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":600,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] "I knocked him out with that body shot , he felt and fell, It’s clear ! Same thing against Romero! This need to change asap."- Paulo Costa said on Instagram after the fight with Rockhold

[{"selector":"#anim-3f704a6e-a9cc-40fb-93c5-ec6bec7c4fed","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Paulo Costa also urged UFC and all MMA promotions to use VAR(video assistant referee) to stop fighters from cheating during the fight. Image Courtesy: UFC

[{"selector":"#anim-9a709201-6574-4beb-9f41-5c517bce18d3 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(24.96925767591024%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f16f5940-bd28-45fe-9176-afc8b3790e40","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke Luke Rockhold announced his retirement after the loss at UFC 278. On the other hand, Paulo Costa secured his first win after a 2 fight-losing streak in UFC. Image Courtesy: UFC

Luke Rockhold Cheated at UFC 278- Paulo Costa

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