Melquizael Costa Plots His Course

Melquizael Costa still has to pinch himself sometimes when he sees his name associated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“The previous two years were crazy,” he told Sherdog.com. “My life changed completely.”

The 28-year-old Brazilian featherweight will attempt to build some momentum when he puts his skills to the test against Andre Fili as part of the UFC Fight Night 252 undercard on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Costa believes he cleared his most significant hurdle to date in his most recent appearance. He submitted Nuerdanbieke Shayilan with a face crank in the third round of their UFC on ESPN 58 pairing in June.

“I had the pressure of having to win my fight or lose my contract,” he said. “We had to do a reassessment and see what changes to make. I got booked against a very tough opponent, but I had a great camp and managed to finish him.”

Now, Costa’s climb toward true relevance at 145 pounds begins. A member of the UFC roster since 2013, Fili ranks fourth on the promotion’s all-time featherweight list in appearances (23) and wins (12). He last saw action at UFC 303, where he eked out a split decision over Cub Swanson on June 29. In an interesting sidenote, four of the Team Alpha Male rep’s 12 victories in the UFC have come at the expense of Brazilians, as he has beaten Lucas Almeida, Sheymon Moraes, Hacran Dias and Felipe Arantes.

“Fili has been under contract with the UFC for over a decade,” said Costa, who split his training camp between the Brazilian Martial Arts Center in Boston and the Chute Boxe affiliate fronted by Joao Emilio and Bauru, Brazil. “I have a lot of respect for that. He’s fought the best of the best in our weight class. I expect nothing less than a battle. The UFC booked two guys who love to bang it out. I’m confident we’ll be putting on a show. I’m ready to do MMA against him, whether it’s on the feet or on the ground. Either way, I’ll be ready.”

Costa enters his 2025 campaign with some clear goals in mind.

“I want to work often,” he said. “Last year was very emotional. I ended up winning the last fight on my contract. I only fought once last year. It’ll be almost a year between fights. This year, I’d like to fight three to four times. My plan now is to put a beatdown on Fili and then whoever else is available two weeks later.”