Melquizael Costa breaks silence after ‘brutal’ loss to Arnold Allen at UFC Vegas 117

UFC featherweight star Melquizael Costa issued his first public remarks since his six-fight win streak was snapped at UFC Vegas 117.

Melquizael Costa’s first taste of headlining a UFC card fell short of the mark, as Arnold Allen snapped his six-fight win streak last Saturday at UFC Vegas 117.

Costa struggled against Allen’s pace and pressure as the two featherweight contenders battled for five full rounds at the UFC Apex. Allen walked away with the unanimous decision win on the scorecards to get back into the title mix at 145 lbs.

As Allen got back on track, it was a disappointing performance for Costa, as he dropped his first fight since a second-round KO loss to Steve Garcia in December 2023. Despite the setback, the 29-year-old Costa could potentially headline multiple UFC cards in his future as he looks to get back into the title mix.

Costa’s optimism about his UFC future glowed in his first post-fight remarks.

Melquizael Costa issues first remarks since UFC Vegas 117 main event loss

In a recent Instagram post, Costa reflected on his performance in his first UFC main event.

“MMA is this: an individual and brutal sport, where only one wins,” Costa said.

“Tonight belonged to Arnold Allen, no complaints. I’m still ranked and motivated. On to the next one. Thank you to everyone who was cheering for me. We’ll come back stronger!”

Costa earned his first career UFC main event booking after a brutal knockout against Dan Ige at UFC Houston earlier this year. During his recent streak, Costa notched wins over the likes of Morgan Charriere, Julian Erosa, and Christian Rodriguez.

Allen returned to the win column after three losses over his past four fights, including recent defeats to Movsar Evloev and former featherweight titleholder Max Holloway. The UK standout might’ve returned to the form that saw him earn wins over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Hooker, and Sodiq Yusuff earlier in his career.

How did you score Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa? Let us know in the comments!