Alessandro Costa has agreed to step in on less than 10 days’ notice to fight Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 118 on June 6 in Washington, DC, replacing Imanol Rodriguez.
Due to the short turnaround, Costa requested the bout be contested at 130 pounds. The matchup comes less than two months after he floored Stewart Nicoll with a left hook to the liver in April, a finish that earned him a performance bonus.
Costa, who is 3-3 in the UFC with all three wins coming by knockout and all earning performance bonuses, described the momentum inside his team. “Our team is getting back on its feet again,” he said, pointing to the recent success of Alexa Grasso: “It all started with Alexa. She had that beautiful knockout — or submission, kind of both at the same time. I talked to her all week, she was texting me and encouraging me too. Her win really motivated me. I got very, very excited. And I could feel that energy, like everything could work out.”
Looking ahead, Costa also plans to fly to Washington, DC to corner Diego Lopes at UFC White House on June 14, where Lopes is scheduled to face Steve Garcia on the White House lawn. “It’s a way our team works really well,” Costa said, adding, “now it’s Diego’s turn.”
Costa and Schnell were previously matched to fight in September 2024 before Costa withdrew due to injury. He noted the financial stakes of his current run, saying, “A bonus changes any athlete’s life, especially now that it’s $100,000.”
