Athletes
Melquizael Costa | Maximizing Opportunities
Surging Brazilian Talks Staying Active, His First Main Event, Championship Ambitions
Simply getting a win in the UFC is difficult, but stringing together multiple victories — four, five, six straight wins —is a rare feat that is far more challenging than most ever recognize or understand, which is why whenever someone builds up such a streak, everyone should stop what they’re doing and pay closer attention.
Melquizael Costa won four fights last year, building on the success of a stoppage win over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke midway through 2024 to push his overall winning streak to five, ending the year with a first-round knockout win over Morgan Charriere that put him front of mind as pundits and observers started building their lists of fighters to watch in 2026. Then in February, 364 days after submitting Andre Fili in Seattle to kick off his breakthrough 2025 campaign, the streaking Brazilian stopped Dan Ige with a spinning back kick late in the opening round to extend his run of success and earn himself a place in the Top 15 in the featherweight division.
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“I’m the most dangerous guy in this division,” Costa said. “I think people haven’t realized that yet, but they’re going to realize it this Saturday when I knock out Arnold Allen, who is someone people say can’t be knocked out.
“I don’t know what it is,” he added, unsure why observers haven’t fully come around to his standing as a dangerous finisher in the 145-pound division now that he’s 7-0 in the division in the UFC, with four of those victories coming inside the distance. “I haven’t really fought in a lot of numbered events, but I think Saturday people are going to get to know me.”
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It has been a meteoric rise for Costa, who debuted in the UFC on short notice in early 2023 and dropped a pair of lightweight contests on either side of a featherweight victory during his rookie campaign. After fighting only once in 2024, the native of Porto de Moz in the northern Brazilian state of Para has remained hyperactive, hustling back into action every time the UFC has called.
RELATED: Arnold Allen Wants To Excite | Five Things To Know About Costa
Just as Kevin Holland used his constant readiness and availability to catapult himself into the Top 15 in the middleweight division in 2020, Costa has taken full advantage of the same opportunities, turning his ability to avoid injuries and eagerness to compete into an accelerated push in the talent-rich featherweight division.
“It’s really about not missing out on opportunities,” he said. “That’s why we’re in the main event. It’s great to see how the UFC is looking at me, what they see in me, and the opportunity they’re giving me to fight a guy who has been at the top forever. It’s just an amazing opportunity.”
But the full magnitude of the opportunity hadn’t sunk all the way in for Costa when we spoke on Tuesday morning, as he had not yet sat down, Sharpie in hand, ready to autograph a never-ending stack of posters featuring a closeup of his face.
Melquizael Costa TKOs Dan Ige In The First | UFC Houston
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Melquizael Costa TKOs Dan Ige In The First | UFC Houston
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“It’s incredible, but I think I haven’t really understood how big it is,” he admitted with a laugh. “I think it’s really going to dawn on me when I sign the posters in a little bit.”
While his rise has been rapid and the experience has likely produced some moments where he’s felt overwhelmed, there is also a part of this that is all part of the plan for Costa.
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Having spoken to him in Houston ahead of the fight with Ige, he was honored to be sharing the Octagon with the divisional mainstay and respectful of his experience and skills, but unwavering in his belief that he’d add another victory to the top of his resume, stating that he was “ready to surprise the world” and that “people are really gonna know who I am on Saturday.”
He also laid out a clear and concise three-fight process that would hopefully carry him to a championship opportunity by year’s end.
“This Saturday, Top 15. Middle of the year, Top 5. The last fight of the year, the belt; that’s what I want,” he said prior to sharing the Octagon with Ige. While Allen sits just outside the top 5 — he’s currently ranked No. 7 — this is the type of matchup that can propel the currently No. 12 ranked Brazilian further up the divisional ladder and closer to his end goal of challenging for championship gold.
Allen returns for the first time since UFC 324 in January where he dropped a competitive decision to Jean Silva, his third loss in his last four starts after rattling off 10 straight wins to begin his UFC career. But the results alon don’t paint the full of where Allen currently stands and what he brings to the table this weekend, as the two losses prior to his win over Giga Chikadze at UFC 304 came against Movsar Evloev and Max Holloway, the undefeated, presumptive No. 1 contender and the former divisional champ.
Costa is certain that he’ll be the first one to register a finish against Allen.
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“Ever since I was a kid, I’m the guy that does things others can’t do.”
And how does he see it happening?
“I see a knockout in the second round,” Costa answered. “Maybe a submission in the first could happen, but I really see a knockout in the second round.”
Becoming the first to finish Allen would certainly be a statement, but with the state of the division at the moment, it may not be enough to catapult Costa all the way to the top of the list of contenders in the 145-pound weight class.
But the good thing about picking up the phone whenever the UFC calls and continuing to stack wins is that it means the promotion is likely to dial your number again relatively soon, and although he had a three-fight plan for 2026, sliding one more contest into the progression — Top 15, Top 10, Top 5 —might just be the trick to get him to where he wants to go.
Not that Costa is shifting his focus when it comes to what he wants next.
“I want the belt.”
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!