Melquizael Costa had a rapid start to his year, first traveling to Seattle in February where he finished Andre Fili via choke in under five minutes.
Just weeks later, his busy schedule continued with a trip to Mexico City, where he secured a decision victory over Christian Rodriguez.
This Saturday, Costa is set to compete again in Las Vegas, facing Julian Erosa. This bout will mark his third appearance in the octagon within a span of 85 days, falling just one day short of matching his personal record from his early mixed martial arts days in Brazil.
Speaking about the quick turnarounds, Costa told MMA Fighting, “The only thing that sucks is the weight cut. If it wasn’t for that, I could fight every weekend, like the Thai [fighters]. I already thought about going up in weight [to do that].” He added, “I’m sure I’ll move up, it won’t take long, but I think I still have two or three years left at 145 to do some damage, win the belt, beat everybody up and then move up to 155.”
Costa`s journey in the UFC has seen him navigate different weight classes. He initially received a short-notice call to fight Thiago Moises at lightweight at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, a fight he lost via second-round knockout. Six months later, he dropped to featherweight to defeat Austin Lingo but then moved back up to lightweight, suffering another loss to Steve Garcia. Since then, he has returned to featherweight and is currently on a three-fight winning streak, with two of those victories coming by finish.
“The biggest issue for me is the weight cut,” Costa reiterated when discussing the challenges of staying so active. “I’ve managed to change my diet and my weight is way lighter than before but it’s still a lot to cut. The body always goes back up after the cut.” Despite the weight management difficulties, he enjoys the frequent competition, noting, “As for the fight itself, thank God I wasn’t injured in any of these [recent] fights. I like being this active.”
Costa believes his upcoming opponent, Julian Erosa, is quite large for the featherweight division and expects him to eventually move up in weight. The prospect of fighting for the third time in under three months felt more manageable because Erosa also competed recently, finishing Darren Elkins on April 12.
“I took this fight because Julian Erosa fought after me,” Costa explained. He humorously added, “If it was someone who had like three months to prepare, I don’t think I would have taken it. [I’d have said] ‘Let me get some rest.’ Nah, I’m lying, I think I’d still have taken it [laughs].” He concluded it was beneficial that Erosa also had a recent bout.
Erosa holds a 9-7 record inside the octagon, with six finishes, notably stopping his last three opponents within the first round. Costa finds the matchup stylistically interesting and anticipates Erosa will look to implement takedowns.
“It’s going to be fun because he walks forward and likes to trade on the feet,” Costa commented. He pointed out that Erosa possesses a strong guillotine choke, similar to his own, setting up a potential battle of submissions. Despite Erosa`s size, Costa observed that he prefers to close the distance rather than utilizing his reach. He predicts an initial exchange of kicks before Erosa likely attempts to take the fight to the ground. “Everybody does, man. In the end, everybody wants to take me to the ground [laughs],” Costa remarked, adding confidently, “If he goes to the ground he’s dead, man. That’s my area.”
