Melquizael Costa fights the main event this Saturday against Arnold Allen in Las Vegas. The Brazilian fighter looks to secure his seventh consecutive win in the UFC. The featherweight out of Porto de Moz, Para, Brazil, thinks a win puts him in title contention.
The fight between Allen and Costa is the main event for UFC Vegas 117 this Saturday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. For Costa, it is his first headliner in the UFC. For the British fighter its his third main event fight. Costa told MMA Junkie that he is really confident in getting the win on Saturday.
Melquizael Costa Is Convinced He Will Finish Arnold Allen
“Yes, this is a big test for me, but it’s gonna be a bad night for him. I think our styles match up really well, and I’m gonna beat him up,” Costa said.
“It is really about having goals in life. Last year, my goal was to fight four times, which I did. And this year, my goal is to fight three times and fight for the title. Right off the bat, I got a top 15 guy (Dan Ige), an experienced guy, and now I’m getting Arnold Allen, so it is a step up. So it seems to be going well. A win on Saturday should secure my shot for the title.”
“I don’t even think I’m going to fight champion Alexander Volkanovski. I think he fights Movsar Evloev next, and I can see him retiring after that. So maybe I wouldn’t even be fighting him, but someone else for the belt. But it is a personal dream of mine to fight Volkanovski. If before retiring, he wants to face me, that would be a pleasure.”
Costa was very convincing in how he sees himself winning against Allen.”It is going to be electrifying. It is not going to go five rounds; he likes to move forward, and getting into fistfights, I like to do that as well. It’s going to be an exciting war, and I will stop him,” Costa said.
Allen vs. Costa Is An Important Fight For The Division
For Arnold Allen, the fight against Melquizael Costa is pretty much a must-win situation. The 32-year-old fighter only won once in his last four fights. The British fighter had competitive fights with Jean Silva and top contender Movsar Evloev, but was on the wrong side of the scorecards. Allen has been a staple in the division for years. He started his UFC career with ten wins and was on his way to a title shot. Unfortunately for Allen, he lost to former champion Max Holloway. Since then, he has only won against Giga Chikadze. Allen is known for his all-around game and his toughness. In twenty-four professional fights, he never lost by finish.
While Allen had a great start in his UFC career, his opponent, Costa, struggled early on. In his first three UFC fights, the Brazilian only won once. But since his loss in December 2023 against Steve Garcia, Costa has made a big impact in the division. Costa won six fights in a row. The Brazilian fighter not only won against guys like Morgan Charrière and Dan Ige. He was also able to finish both guys via vicious knockouts. Ige, for example, had never been finished in his 30-fight career. The question is whether Costa can do the same to Allen.
UFC Vegas 117 – May 16
Main Card (8 pm EST)
- Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa
- DooHo Choi vs. Daniel Santos
- Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Díaz
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Christian Edwards
- Timmy Cuamba vs. Benardo Sopaj
- Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams
Preliminary Card (5 pm EST)
- Tuco Tokkos vs. Ivan Erslan
- Thomas Gantt vs. Artur Minev
- Ketlen Vieira vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
- Cody Brundage vs. Andre Petroski
- Alice Ardelean vs. Polyana Viana
- Daniel Barez vs. Luis Gurule
- Shauna Bannon vs. Nicolle Caliari
UFC Vegas 117 is live this Saturday on Paramount+.
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