Melquizael Costa should be leaving Texas with a number net to his name and an extra six-figure check in his pocket.
In a pivotal featherweight bout at UFC Houston on Saturday, Costa delivered one of the night’s best moments, catching veteran Dan Ige with a spin kick and following with ground strikes to secure a knockout win, making Costa the first fighter ever to stop Ige inside the distance. It was the seventh straight win at 145 pounds for Costa, trailing only Movsar Evloev (8) and Lerone Murphy (9) for the longest streak.
Ige was ranked No. 14 in the UFC’s rankings heading into this fight, so Costa should expect to be top 15 when that chart is updated later this week.
Fighters across the board were wowed by Costa’s incredible performance, with UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho declaring that “The Dalmation” has to be given one of Saturday’s $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.
“No way [Costa] doesn’t get a bonus today!” Borralho wrote on Twitter. “Give 100K to this man.”
See more enthusiastic reactions to the win below.
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