Alessandro Costa is jumping back into action on short notice, stepping in to face Cody Durden at UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
Costa replaces Ode Osbourne in the flyweight matchup, which is slated for the preliminary card of the Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor International Fight Week event at T-Mobile Arena.
Costa heads into UFC 329 after a big run in 2025, including a knockout of Stewart Nicoll in April and a first-round stoppage of Matt Schnell in June. All four of his UFC wins have come by knockout. As he put it, “my last fight was quick and I came out of it without any injuries.”
Costa expects Durden, who is coming off an upset win over Jafel Filho, to lean on his grappling. “Cody is an all-or-nothing kind of fighter,” Costa said. “He doesn’t respect anyone in there. He’s always coming to fight. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. 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.”
Looking beyond UFC 329, Costa has clear ambitions. “I think my next win will be very important because it’ll give me the opportunity to call for someone in the rankings,” he said, pointing to Tim Elliott and a rematch with Amir Albazi as targets after International Fight Week.
