Melquizael Costa had a six-bout winning streak snapped in a loss
to Arnold Allen. | Getty/UFC
Melquizael
Costa has decided to move up a weight class.
Costa recently announced on the MMA
HOJE podcast that he is officially moving up from featherweight
to lightweight.
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It was a good run in this category, but my
body can’t handle cutting 22 kilos for each fight anymore.
Let’s go Lightweight @arielhelwani
@UFCBrasil
@mmahoje— 𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙠 “𝐷𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛” 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙖 (@MelkCostaCauthy)
June 1, 2026
On the Heels of Defeat
Costa’s decision comes following his unanimous decision loss
against top featherweight contender Arnold
Allen last month. While Costa put on a gritty performance,
Allen just outclassed him in a technical affair. Costa went 1-2 in
his first three UFC outings after making his debut in 2023. “The
Dalmatian” then rebounded with a six-fight winning streak, with
four finishes, which ended with his loss to Allen.
Costa (26-8) recently had a confrontation with Jean Silva,
whom he had called out in the past. However, that matchup is
unlikely now as Silva typically fights at featherweight.