Luke Rockhold RUBBED his blood all over Paulo Costa's face during their middleweight clash at UFC 278 in a bizarre moment.
Rockhold fell short in his UFC comeback as he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Costa in the co-main event of UFC 278.
The 37-year-old fought with his heart in a gutsy performance that saw him rub blood all over his opponent's face.
During a ground exchange in the third round, the American stunned UFC fighters and Joe Rogan with his unconventional move.
He can be seen rubbing his blood all over Costa's face whilst on the canvas.
Replays show Rockhold smearing the blood streaming down his face onto the Brazilian.
Rogan called the move 'hilarious', 'twisted' and claimed that it is 'so Luke Rockhold'.
Rockhold smeared his blood on Costa's face 😧 #UFC278 @espnmma pic.twitter.com/QcT4M77SLT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 21, 2022
ROCKHOLD RUBBED HIS BLOOD ON COSTA 😦 #UFC278 pic.twitter.com/I1CeGGkUWz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 21, 2022
Ultimately, Rockhold's stunt failed to work as he tired late into the fight as Costa earned a unanimous decision victory to return to the win column.
But it got people talking on social media.
Former UFC contender Ben Askren tweeted: "Why was he just rubbing blood all over him, wtf. Never seen that before."
Megan Anderson wrote: "Luke Rockhold is a freaking animal for that ending rubbing his blood all over Costa!! Hahaha."
A third added: "That might be the grossest thing I’ve ever seen."
Another commented: "That was so strange."
Luke Rockhold purposely smearing his blood on Paulo Costa's face. An iconic moment in this lovely sport we all cherish. #UFC278
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) August 21, 2022
Speaking after his defeat, a teary Rockhold appeared to indicate the battle with Costa will be his final fight of his career.
"I’ve been through so much the last few years," he told Rogan. "I f**king... thank you, fighting. Thank you, UFC. Thank you, Joe.
"I f**king can’t do this sh*t any more. I gave it my all. I just didn’t... I’m f**king old."
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