Costa chases third knockout in 99 days as he steps in short notice at UFC 329

Alessandro Costa will fight for the third time in 99 days when he meets Cody Durden on the preliminary card of UFC 329 in Las Vegas, stepping in on short notice to replace Ode Osbourne in the 125-pound bout.

The Brazilian flyweight knocked out Stewart Nicoll in April, then returned in June to stop Matt Schnell in the first round. Costa told MMA Fighting that the quick turnaround was only possible because his last outing was brief and left him unscathed — he absorbed just eight significant strikes against Schnell and kept his weight low in anticipation of a late call.

“At the point we’re at now, opportunities come when you least expect them,” Costa said. “So I told myself this was going to be a big year for me. This is my third fight, and my plan is to come away with a win and make it four fights this year. If I’m lucky, maybe even five. I didn’t expect to have three fights this quickly, but I’m feeling great. I’m healthy, injury-free, and my mindset is in a really good place too, and that’s very important.”

All four of Costa’s UFC victories have come by knockout, earning him performance bonuses in three of them. He has long wanted a crack at Durden, and the matchup arrives at a compelling moment. Durden has struggled for consistency — he had six losses in his previous seven UFC bouts before pulling off a significant upset against Jafel Filho — but Costa is not underestimating him.

“Cody is an all-or-nothing kind of fighter,” Costa said. “He doesn’t respect anyone in there. He’s always coming to fight. He comes from a wrestling background, and everyone knows his style. He throws strikes, then looks for scrambles and takedowns. But we come from jiu-jitsu. I still haven’t had the chance to show my jiu-jitsu in my fights, but it’s there. My jiu-jitsu is very dangerous, and so is my striking.”

Costa expects Durden to use his striking as a setup for takedown attempts at T-Mobile Arena, but insists he is going in to impose his own game rather than simply defend.

“He’s not a guy who likes to stand and trade for long,” Costa said. “He throws punches already looking to get in on a takedown. But the plan is to avoid the takedowns. I’m not going into this fight afraid or worried about defending his wrestling. I’m going in there to impose my game. And if he does manage to take me down, which is going to be very difficult, we’ll be more than ready.”

The 30-year-old has already set his sights beyond UFC 329, with a reported interest in featuring on Noche UFC later this year as he pushes to make 2025 his most active and productive season yet.