Melquizael Costa made brief work of Andre Fili on Feb. 22, tapping out the longtime veteran with a guillotine choke for his second submission in a row. With no time to waste, he returns to the cage 5 weeks later to tackle Christian Rodriguez at UFC Mexico.
Costa needed to wait eight months in between his previous two UFC bouts, not his fault, and volunteered to remain extra lively after beginning his new UFC contract with a stoppage win. UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby listened, and supplied him one other match moments after his UFC Seattle win.
“The combat ended and I stated, ‘Hey Dana [White], should you want me this week, subsequent week, chama,’” Costa informed MMA Preventing. “I used to be joking, however they took it significantly [laughs]. I’m kidding. I used to be doing medical exams after the combat, normal stuff, and my coach got here saying Sean Shelby referred to as asking if I needed to combat on March 29. My physique stated no, and my thoughts stated let’s go as a result of we now have payments to pay [laughs]. I believed it wouldn’t occur, however they already despatched us two names on our approach to the resort, ‘CeeRod’ and Jamall Emmers.”
Rodriguez received 5 of seven thus far within the UFC after a current choice victory over Austin Bashi in January, whereas Emmers dropped to 3-4 within the firm with a knockout defeat to Nate Landwehr in March 2024.
“In idea, a combat with Jamal Emmers could be simpler however it wouldn’t add so much,” Costa stated. “I simply completed somebody that hadn’t been submitted in 10 years, somebody with a reputation that has fought all the very best on the earth, after which preventing Jamal Emmers on a skid, that wouldn’t be price it. ‘CeeRod’ could be extra viable. I prefer to take different individuals’s hype. He’s on a roll, he has Mexican heritage, so that is going to be an thrilling combat.”
Costa landed in Brazil two days after the win and referred to as his supervisor to verify that the combat would actually occur on March 29, and went straight to the fitness center that very same evening to begin one other coaching camp. Costa flew to Mexico Metropolis days later to organize for the altitude, ending his camp at UFC’s Efficiency Institute in Mexico.
“We at all times anticipate the opponent to come back in for a combat. We wait and see what they’ve to supply,” Costa stated. “I like to review all people within the UFC. I don’t miss a single UFC occasion so I do know ‘CeeRod’ since his combat with [Raul] Rosas Jr. He’s a child with an enormous coronary heart and starvation, he’s on a roll. He’s similar to me — I don’t know if he has a number of payments to pay, spouse and child, however we now have the identical starvation. I feel that’s nice as a result of he’ll come fearless, able to to brawl.”
