A battle with potential title implications will be waged in the UFC 278 co-main event on Saturday night when former kingpin Luke Rockhold takes on Paulo Costa. Read on for our Rockhold-Costa UFC 278 picks and predictions.
A former champion who's had his career derailed by an increasingly suspect chin, Rockhold returns to the middleweight fray after more than three years away from the Octagon. Once one of the finest 185-pounders on the planet, Rockhold has lost three of his last four bouts, belying the dangerous offensive skill set that made him the most terrifying man in the division.
Meanwhile, Costa has hit a bit of a wall after entering the promotion like an absolute freight train. He's struggled on the scale and in the cage in consecutive losses to division overlord Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. A loss to a 37-year-old with only one victory since 2016 would be devastating to Costa's future title aspirations.
Here are my top picks for Costa vs. Rockhold at UFC 278 (Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook).