Video | Luke Rockhold gave Paulo Costa a bloody face wash during round three of their war at UFC 278

Luke Rockhold had an epic, yet gross, moment with Paulo Costa at the end of their three-round scrap at UFC 278.

Rockhold and Costa did battle in the co-main event of UFC 278 on August 20. Rockhold was hoping to show that he still had some legs in the MMA game. Ultimately, he came to the realization that it’s time to wrap up his career but he delivered a gutsy performance that won’t soon be forgotten.

The former UFC and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion struggled with the high altitude and often stopped to catch his breath. Still, he was able to keep Costa on his toes all the way until the final horn sounded. In the end, it was Costa who picked up the unanimous decision win.

Rockhold didn’t let the fight end before creating a memorable moment, however. He gave Costa a facewash with blood from his nose.

Name this move 🩸 #UFC278 https://t.co/kPNoXTkfJS

— UFC (@ufc) August 21, 2022

During the post-fight press conference, Costa admitted that he found the move to be rather gross (h/t MMAFighting).

“I didn’t see it in the moment of the fight,” Costa said at the post-fight press conference for Saturday’s pay-per-view event. “I just felt something on my face, but I was so worried about blocking his arms to not get elbowed in the face and punched. But I felt something.

“Now, when I saw, it’s a very disgusting scene. It’s a very weird moment.

“I saw the moment where [Yoel] Romero kisses [Rockhold] after beating him, as well,” Costa said. “That was the weirdest moment that I had seen, but this beat that moment. I don’t know why Luke did that. Maybe he was so frustrated and angry because he was losing the fight. But I took a very long shower after the fight.”

Despite being heated with Rockhold in the pre-fight buildup, Costa gave the former American Kickboxing Academy standout props for his toughness.

After the fight, Rockhold announced his retirement.