Matt Schnell will finally meet Alessandro Costa in a flyweight clash at UFC Fight Night 278, stepping in after another matchup fell through.
Schnell and Costa were originally booked to fight in September 2024, but Costa withdrew and Schnell instead faced Cody Durden on short notice, losing by submission early in the second round. After that defeat, Schnell left his gloves in the center of the cage.
Reflecting on that moment, Schnell said, "I think I just pitched a fit there in that moment, and I also thought the UFC was going to cut me," and added, "I thought it might be my last one, so I figured get ahead of it a little bit and just retire. (Then I could say) I didn't get cut – I retired." He later admitted, "But now we're back. Not my best moment, if I'm being honest – an emotional moment, one where, if I could take it back, I would have. But it is what it is."
Schnell now returns to face Costa after Imanol Rodriguez pulled out of their scheduled bout. Responding to the change, he said, "It's unfortunate that the fight with Imanol fell apart," but noted, "Alessandro Costa is a former foe, somebody that we had prepared for in the past, so it just felt like let's just rock with it."
The flyweight bout between Schnell and Costa will close out the UFC Fight Night 278 prelims at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Costa enters the fight as more than a 4-1 betting favorite. Schnell has lost four of his past five fights, while Costa holds a 15-5 MMA record with a 3-3 mark in the UFC.
