Durden snapped a four-fight skid back in April, care of a decision victory over Jafel Filho. Costa was 2-0 in 2026, including back-to-back finishes and a Performance of the Night bonus.

It was a tentative start from both fighters, each looking to get a read with a high volume of feints and low kicks. Cody Durden was the more active early, working from the outside before the two collided in an explosive exchange around the three-minute mark. Alessandro Costa flashed a spinning kick that narrowly missed the head, clearly hunting for a highlight finish. He followed it up with a clean hook, but Durden stayed composed defensively, chopping at Costa’s lead leg while circling out of danger.

Durden looked to change levels with under twenty seconds remaining in the round, but Costa responded with excellent defense, turning the moment in his favor. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Costa unleashed a series of hooks that opened up Durden, stealing momentum as the round came to a close.

Costa carried that pressure into the second, once again marching forward. Durden attempted to spark something on the feet, but a mistimed high kick left him off balance after missing the target. Sensing the opening, Costa took advantage- locking in a body triangle, working to the back, and eventually securing a tight rear-naked choke to force the submission.

A statement performance from the surging flyweight Alessandro Costa, who improves to 17-5 as a professional and 5-3 in the UFC. On the other side, Cody Durden faces further adversity, falling to 18-11-1 and dropping five of his last six fights.

Official Results: Alessandro Costa def. Cody Durden via R2 SUB (RNC), 2:19

The post Alessandro Costa Submits Durden in Second Round at UFC 329 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Brazilian flyweight submitted veteran Matt Schnell in impressive fashion, earning one of the biggest victories of his UFC career before immediately turning his attention toward the next goal: breaking into the flyweight rankings.

“It is a fight that I’ve been waiting for quite some time. Thank God everything actually went just according to plan,” Costa told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator on Saturday night.

“When that fight got canceled originally it was an injury. He talked about retirement at that point. I started thinking about other things, you start focusing and shift your focus to other things.”

Costa (16-5) said he felt the finish was inevitable once he secured the dominant position and began working for the submission. While he was proud of the victory, he also showed respect for Schnell afterward, praising the veteran’s career and what he has accomplished inside the Octagon.

“When the hand got in I knew it was just a matter of time. All I needed to do was just finish the job. Whenever he was on the ground I knew it was just a matter of just finishing the fight,” he said.

“I went to him and I just wanted to thank him and say you’ve done a lot in the UFC. This is the sport. Sometimes you lose and I wanted to keep your head high and I just really wanted to thank him because he’s a really cool guy.”

With another impressive victory now on his record, Costa made it clear that he’s no longer interested in fighting outside the rankings. The Brazilian flyweight believes he’s earned the opportunity to test himself against the division’s elite and wants his next fight to come against a ranked opponent.

“I aiming for the top 15. That’s what I’m looking for right now,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Alessandro Costa above.

The post Alessandro Costa Finishes Matt Schnell, Sets Sights On Ranked Opponent appeared first on Cageside Press.

The catchweight was necessitated by Costa stepping up on just nine day’s notice to take the fight. As for Schnell, who did get a full camp, he’d retired following a loss to Cody Durden in 2024, though he’d later admit that was mainly due to his belief that the UFC would cut him after three straight losses.

When it turned out he wasn’t cut, he returned to defeat Jimmy Flick, then found himself submitted by Joseph Morales last year. Which meant he was looking to bounce back opposite Costa.

The first round started cautiously, with Costa looking to counter with big overhand rights as Schnell moved in. Costa connected with a short right hand that got the attention of Schnell near the three minute mark. Moments later Costa landed massive right hand that forced Schnell to shoot a desperation takedown, resulting in Costa ending up on top. Costa would go on to land multiple massive ground and pound punches before veteran referee Herb Dean called a stop to the contest by TKO.

This was the second knockout in a row for Alessandro Costa who should earn a step up in competition next time out.

Official Result: Alessandro Costa def. Matt Schnell by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:32

The post Short-notice Opportunity Pays Off for Alessandro Costa, Who Finishes Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 118 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The short-notice nature (Costa replaces Imanol Rodríguez) has necessitated a catchweight, but Costa for one sees this particular booking as less dangerous than other short-notice affairs.

“I understand there’s experience out there. I’m not underestimating him at all. I understand he’s a tough opponent, but I do see a lot of opportunity for me to win,” Costa (15-5) told media outlets including Cageside Press during the UFC Vegas 118 media day this week. “Actually this is a fight that was scheduled two years ago, I did an entire camp for him already so I don’t even see the problem with taking this fight on short notice, because things were prepared for before.”

The fight also puts Costa on track to achieve his goals in 2026.

“I had the plan of fighting at least three times this year, so we’re on our path out there. I really had a plan to fight in Oklahoma City, since we’ve been training in Oklahoma a lot too.”

The Oklahoma City card arrives later this summer. Even if he misses that, Costa has plenty of time to fight once more by the end of 2026.

Helping others train for their camps has Costa feeling ready, and starting the year with a big win “gives me the confidence right now,” he added. “You want to be healthy, and I’m feeling healthier than ever. Also I do feel like the mindset, mind and body are ready to go. I’m feeling very happy about this. Happy with the opportunity to make things happen and to follow suit on the plan that I have for the year.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 118 media day appearance by Alessandro Costa above.

The post Alessandro Costa Explains Why Taking UFC Vegas 118 Fight on Short Notice Isn’t a Problem appeared first on Cageside Press.

McMillen, a teammate of Sean O’Malley, met Maolo Zecchini on the main card of UFC Vegas 115 on Saturday. For McMillen, it was the first fight in what looks to be a promising career; Italy’s Zecchini, one of two Italians on the UFC roster (the other being Marvin Vettori) was returning to action for the first time since 2023.

In his time away, Zecchini had undergone a complete shoulder reconstruction.

You’d forgive Zecchini for being a little rusty, but he still hung in there with McMillen, who found the finish with a knee and follow-up strikes in the third round. That effort saw the featherweight pair share Fight of the Night honors at UFC Vegas 115, pocketing $100,000 for their efforts.

Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Vegas 115 went to Alice Pereira and Alessandro Costa. Pereira, the youngest female on the roster, landed a nasty step-in knee to put out Hailey Cowan on the preliminary card, securing her first victory in the promotion in the process. Flyweight Costa, also fighting on the prelims, put away Stewart Nicoll with a body shot.

All four fighters will take home $100,000 U.S. for their efforts at the UFC Apex on Saturday. The remaining finishers at UFC Vegas 115, including headliner Renato Moicano, taking home an extra $25,000.

The post Debuting Tommy McMillen Shares FOTN with Manolo Zecchini at UFC Vegas 115 appeared first on Cageside Press.

To start the opening round Costa came out as the aggressor, backing Nicoll to the fence. A good leg kick landed by Nicoll as Costa answered with big hooks on the inside. Both fighters exchanged punches at distance in a very even round so far. Nicoll began to come forward looking for a takedown but was unsuccessful. Costa returned with a big right hand that got Nicoll’s attention. With thirty seconds left Costa stepped on the gas and began landing damaging blows to the head of Nicoll with powerful hooks upstairs.

After a wild ending to the first round, Costa came out pressing the action. Nicoll threatened some quality kicks to the body and legs looking to keep Costa off him. Costa forced the fight to the fence, dragging his opponent to the ground.

Quickly moving to the back, Costa was unable to maintain position with both fighters scrambling to their feet. Marching forward Costa was able to landed big shots near the minute mark that had Nicoll in significant trouble. With less than ten seconds left Costa landed a massive shot to the body that forced referee Chris Tognoni to stop the fight.

A beautiful left hook to the body that put Costa back in the win column in this talent rich Flyweight division.

Official Result: Alessandro Costa def. Stewart Nicoll by TKO (body shot), Round 2, 4:56

The post UFC Vegas 115: Alessandro Costa Body Shot Stops Stewart Nicoll appeared first on Cageside Press.

An LFA veteran, Coria was replacing Edgar Chairez in the bout, after Chairez broke his leg ahead of the fight.

The fight opened with both men trading heavy outside leg kicks. Coria quickly established superior footwork, switching stances and using feints effectively. He landed a sharp one-two on Costa and slipped away as Costa countered, showcasing his composure. Costa connected with a big overhand, but Coria stayed calm, keeping his jab active and moving out of range. Early on, Coria’s technical edge was clear—while Costa was loading up on big shots, Coria was reading everything and responding efficiently. A crisp jab throughout the round kept Costa’s attacks in check and targeted the leg kicks, making it a very clean round for the newcomer.

In round two, Coria returned to the jab before catching Costa as he stepped in, securing an easy bodylock takedown. On the ground, Coria stayed comfortable, mixing body and head strikes while Costa scrambled with his legs and hip positioning to regain footing. During a clinch, Costa executed a kimura sweep to roll Coria and take the back, threatening with a rear-naked choke. Yet Coria remained calm, turning toward Costa to regain top position and finish the round with damaging ground-and-pound.

Round three saw Costa likely needing a finish, but an apparent foot injury hindered him. Coria pressed forward confidently, pinning Costa against the cage. When Costa attempted a poor takedown, Coria stepped back and unleashed a punishing combination along the fence, breaking Costa down and forcing the referee to step in.

Official Result: Alden Coria def. Alessandro Costa by TKO (punches), round 3, 0:47

The post Alden Coria Stuns Alessandro Costa with Breakout Win at Noche UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

For Iasmin Lucindo, it was the chance to fight at home. For Alessandro Costa (14-4), meanwhile, it was the opportunity to compete on a card with legend Jose Aldo.

Costa ripped a number of nasty leg kicks in his fight with Kevin Borjas, which opened up the event. As it happens, UFC Hall of Famer Aldo, who knows a thing or two about leg kicks himself, was the first fighter he connected with when he began training.

“I started training jiu-jitsu when I was 14 years old, and Jose Aldo was the first fighter I got to know,” Costa told Cageside Press following the bout. “For those of you that don’t know, I’m also from Manaus, so to be able to fight on the same card as him is pretty much a dream come true.”

According to Costa, nothing Peru’s Borjas threw his way came as a surprise. “No not really. I was ready for everything. I studied him well, so anything that he threw at me, it was something I was ready for.” And with the victory, Costa believes he kicked off the night in style.

“I think it was a great way to open the night, and show people what I’m able to do. And set up the night for a great UFC Rio.”

Watch the full UFC 301 post-fight press conference with Alessandro Costa above.

The post Alessandro Costa: Sharing UFC 301 Card with Jose Aldo “Dream Come True” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Michel Pereira, a.k.a. Demolidor, absolutely demolished replacement opponent Ihor Poteiria of Ukraine in their main card middleweight fight, and as usual, it was his flashy style that left fans talking. In this case, Pereira even courted a little controversy- having knocked Potieria down, the Brazilian capoeira expert did a standing backflip onto his opponent, but appeared to graze the head with his knee. That would be an illegal knee, and after catching Potieria in a guillotine choke shortly after and putting him out, Pereira celebrated while cageside officials debated how to handle the scene.

Ultimately, it was ruled incidental contact, with Pereira awarded the submission win. The controversy, such as it was, didn’t seem to bother the UFC any, with David Shaw, Senior Vice President of International and Content, announcing Demolidor among the bonus winners during the post-fight press conference.

Also among the winners, newcomer Mauricio Ruffy, who stunned with his TKO finish of the rugged Jamie Mullarkey on the early prelims.

Two other Brazilians earned $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses as well: Caio Borralho, who stopped veteran Paul Craig, and Alessandro Costa, the flyweight who kicked off the event with a TKO win over Kevin Borjas.

No Fight of the Night was awarded at UFC 301; over 14,000 fans were in attendance for the event.

The post UFC 301 Sees Bonuses Go to Flashy Demolidor, Newcomer Ruffy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brazil’s own Costa, coincidentally enough, was seeking to bounce back from a loss from Saturday’s title challenger, Steve Erceg. Peruvian Borjas, meanwhile, was looking for his first UFC victory after the Contender Series alum dropped his debut last time out.

The fight would begin cautiously as both men measured the other out for the opening seconds. It would be Costa that landed the first combination, a 1-2 upstairs followed by a thudding calf kick. Borjas would throw a punch and Costa again returned fire with a hard leg kick. As Costa darted in with a shot Borjas would expertly move out of the way to avoid the takedown.

Costa moved in for a wild combination whiffing on a couple strikes as Borjas expertly evaded and returned with a counter strike of his own. Borjas was bleeding behind his ear now, engaging and missing with a flying knee. The two fighters flurried momentarily with punches before just few seconds later Costa caught Borjas with a hard hook that stumbled his opponent against the cage. Costa engaged with another flying knee that narrowly missed its mark, hitting the neck. After Borjas was momentarily slung to the ground the two engaged in the clinch before the bell sounded seconds later.

WHAT A WAY TO START THE NIGHT 💥

[ LIVE on @ESPNPlus | #UFC301 ] pic.twitter.com/JxEnJtYjcN

— UFC (@ufc) May 4, 2024

To start the second round Borjas was throwing hard combinations before taking yet another hard calf kick, backing him off. It only took another two or three leg kicks before Borjas was on his back defending from ground and pound. After momentarily regaining his feet, another couple of leg kicks from Costa dropped Kevin again. Alessandro swarmed on his badly hurt opponent, who was still defending but eventually gave up full mount. Moments later the ref stepped in and mercilessly stopped the fight as Costa rained down strikes on a clearly hurt Kevin Borjas.

Official Result: Alessandro Costa def. Kevin Borjas by TKO (leg kick and punches), Round 2, 1:35

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