Report: Costa, Rockhold agree to meet at UFC 277

Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold agreed to return in a middleweight bout against Paulo Costa at UFC 277 on July 30, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

Rockhold will be making his first trip to the Octagon since July 2019. He has lost two in a row.

The 37-year-old, who held UFC gold from 2015-16, was initially scheduled to return against Sean Strickland in November but withdrew from the fight due to an injury.

Costa is also riding a two-fight losing streak. He challenged Israel Adesanya for the 185-pound title in September 2020 and lost by second-round TKO. Then, the 31-year-old Brazilian fell short to Marvin Vettori in an October 2021 light heavyweight contest.

UFC 277 does not yet have a confirmed location. The card will also feature a light heavyweight bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith as well as a heavyweight tilt between Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich.