Melquizael Costa plans to propel himself into the featherweight title mix by making history.
‘The Dalmatian’ will face perennial contender Arnold Allen in the main event of UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday night.
24 people have tried and failed to knock out Allen, including Max Holloway and Jean Silva, but Melquizael Costa insists that’s what he’ll do this weekend.
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Melquizael Costa predicts he’ll KO Arnold Allen
Melquizael Costa believes winning spectacularly will put him on the cusp of a shot after UFC Vegas 117.
The 29-year-old says a final eliminator for 145lb gold will naturally follow him becoming the first man to stop Arnold Allen.
“I believe I’m going to knock Allen out, and that’s going to catch everyone off guard, because nobody has ever knocked him out,” Costa said during an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow’s Filipe Guedes.
“I’ll be the first to do that. I’ve already knocked out two guys who’d never been stopped before, so I believe I’ll do the same to Allen.
“After that, there won’t be much left to say, because my next fight, if it’s not straight for the belt, will likely be against Lerone Murphy.
“That’s a fight that would put me right on the doorstep of the title. He’s ranked third, so it makes sense. But in terms of entertainment value, there are other names out there too.”
How UFC Vegas 117 benefits from clashing with Ronda Rousey
Melquizael Costa’s first UFC main event will clash with the return of one of MMA’s greatest legends, Ronda Rousey.
The former UFC bantamweight will return from a 10-year retirement to fight Gina Carano in the main event of Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA show.
Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and a bunch of other big names feature on the stacked Netflix card.
Costa has explained why he is happy to be clashing with the biggest MMA event of 2026 so far.
“I think they’ve set the stage for us without even realizing it,” Costa told Bloody Elbow.
A lot of people who aren’t into fighting will tune in on Netflix, but there’ll only be one or two decent bouts, the rest will be boring.
“And when you’re in that kind of mood, it’s like watching an action film, you’re not going to want a horror film straight after.
“It’s the same thing. After a boring, scrappy…
2026-05-13 06:00:00
