Athletes
Five Things To Know About Melquizael Costa
Learn More About Brazil’s Rising Featherweight Melquizael Costa Ahead Of His Main Event On May 16
Melquizael Costa didn’t come out of the gates rolling when he joined the roster in January 2023. In fact, the Brazilian featherweight lost two of his first three during his first year on the roster and was limited to just one fight (a win to bring his record to 2-2) in 2024.
However, Costa found his feet in a real way in 2025. In four appearances, Costa picked up four wins, including two finishes over Andre Fili and Morgan Charriere to become one of the more intriguing prospects in the featherweight division. The 29-year-old kept the momentum rolling into 2026 as he became the first person to stop veteran Dan Ige with a wicked spinning back kick.
Watch This & Every UFC Event On Paramount+
The division was officially put on notice, and Costa gets his first opportunity to headline an event as he takes on perennial top 10 member Arnold Allen in the Meta APEX on May 16.
Before Costa makes the penultimate walk of the evening, here are five things you should know about the Brazilian upstart:
Undefeated In The Octagon At 145 Pounds
Although Costa suffered two losses at the start of his UFC career, he is undefeated when competing as a featherweight. His bouts against Thiago Moises and Steve Garcia both came at 155 pounds, so as far as life at 145 pounds is concerned, Costa is a perfect 7-0 inside the Octagon with four finishes and two performance bonuses.
A Prolific Finisher
When Costa enters the Octagon, there’s a good chance he’ll take the judges out of the equation. Of his 26 professional wins, 17 came by stoppage (nine knockouts, eight submissions), and as his 11 first-round finishes reveal, he will pounce on an advantage early if he can identify it. His eight submissions are also of a great variety. He boasts three rear-naked chokes, two heel hooks and one anaconda choke, face crank and guillotine each.
RELATED: Melquizael Costa Maximizing Opportunities
His finishing rate in the Octagon more or less matches his work before the UFC—four of his seven victories came via stoppage.
Full Fight | Melquizael Costa vs Andre Fili
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Full Fight | Melquizael Costa vs Andre Fili
/
Newly Minted Black Belt
Earlier this month, Costa was granted his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Costa, who has shown strong grappling throughout his UFC tenure, can now add that accolade alongside his Muay Thai black belt under Chute Boxe’s João Emilio.
MORE UFC VEGAS 117: Fight by Fight Preview | Fighters On The Rise
Costa also told UFC.com in his athlete profile that he doesn’t have a favorite submission, but he does “have some crazy submissions that I can’t mention.”
An Ambassador For People With Vitiligo
Costa has explained a passion for speaking up as someone who lives with vitiligo, a skin condition that causes someone’s skin to lose its color due to the body’s immune system impacting the skin cells that produce melanin.
While vitiligo was a reason he was bullied, Costa embraces it as part of his identity now, even changing his nickname to “The Dalmatian” in reference to the teasing he endured during childhood. Mixed martial arts helped Costa find confidence.
“When I was a kid, people would confuse vitiligo with leprosy,” Costa told UFC.com. “But it wasn’t the kids discriminating; it was the parents who wouldn’t let their kids interact with me, or they would pull them away. It was tough. Fighting was what made me start ignoring it. There was a time that it really affected me so I wanted to train harder because I wanted to beat up whoever would call me names. But then came a point when I noticed that people didn’t really care anymore. It was more in my own mind at that point. When I started competing more, people cared less about me having spots on my skin.”
Now, Costa hopes he can provide confidence and a positive example for others who have the same condition.
“I feel like an inspiration for children of the world,” Costa said. “This is my mentality. I want to continue to inspire kids all over the world.”
Motivated By Family
When it comes down to it, Costa draws courage and motivation from his family. Costa cites his late older brother as his biggest inspiration. Costa said his brother always believed in him when he started training but passed away due to an accident in 2013.
Costa has a wife, a daughter and a son, and describes himself as a “simple guy” who likes to play video games and travel with his family.
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!