Luke Rockhold is making in a position to fight the winner of Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira should he defeat Paulo Costa at UFC 278 on Saturday.

The former UFC middleweight champion returns to the Octagon for the principle time in 3 years following a second-round KO loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in his simplest mild heavyweight glance. The time away used to be as soon as sought after for Rockhold as he ultimately opted against retirement and readied himself for but another championship choice in his distinctive division.

Rockhold has a troublesome check out ahead of him in Costa, the heavy-handed Brazilian who finished all on the other hand no doubt one in all his opponents in his first 13 fights. The risk is indisputably well worth the reward for the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product, who instructed Helen Yee in recent years that he might simply to search out himself preventing for the championship temporarily with a win over Costa.

“Next,” mentioned Rockhold on when he expects to fight for gold. “I’m not going to do anything else. If I don’t get it, they don’t get it.”

Should he win against Costa and secure a establish shot, Rockhold should wait until Adesanya vs. Pereira is settled at UFC 281, the pay-per-view match scheduled for Nov. 12 at Madison Sq. Garden. Even supposing 0-2 against ‘Po Atan’ in kickboxing, ‘The Ultimate Stylebender’ has all on the other hand confident a definite lead to MMA.

For Rockhold, a win for Adesanya happens if — and only if — the reigning champion does not allow his previous losses to Pereira to have an effect on him going into this third fight.

“It merely will depend on how Israel fights, mentioned Rockhold. “If Israel tries to fight him — because of he’s in his head. Like I mentioned forward of, if he’s in his head and in addition you let guys get for your head — he out of place to him in an intensive one and then he got clipped in the second one because of he let him get in his head. He used to be as soon as in his head. You wish to have to peer he used to be as soon as in his head, so if Israel lets him get in his head this time around, that’s crowd pleasing. Israel’s got to check himself and he’s got to fight MMA.

“We all know Alex Pereira sucks on the ground,” persisted Rockhold. “Even Israel might simply maximum indisputably f—king put him away on the ground. The kid’s dangerous as hell on the feet, so it all will depend on Israel, what his head space is and the best way he fights it.”

UFC 278 is taking place on Sat., Aug. 20, at the Vivint Space in Salt Lake The town. Costa vs. Rockhold serves for the reason that co-headliner.