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Alessandro Costa will be a busy man Sept. 13.
Not only does the UFC flyweight have a fight against Alden Coria at this year’s Noche UFC in San Antonio, but he also plans on being a corner that same day. Costa (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will share the card with his teammate and close friend Diego Lopes, who fights in the main event of the card against Jean Silva, and he doesn’t plan to miss his usual duties in supporting Lopes.
“That’s right. I intend to win my fight as quickly as possible and leave unscathed,” Costa told Hablemos MMA in Spanish, discussing his plans to do double-duty at Noche UFC. “That’s the goal and that’s what I’m training for, and that’s what will happen, and I’ll be right there in his corner.”
If it was up to Costa and Lopes, the reverse would also happen. However, due to his main event slot, Lopes will not be able to corner Costa on Sept. 13.
“Unfortunately, we can’t do that,” Costa said. “It’s not on him, but on the UFC. But oh well, I’ll still get the job done.”
Both Costa and Lopes have been in each other’s corners for the majority of their fighting careers. However, things have changed in recent years, as the two have shared cards twice under the UFC banner – a new dynamic they’ve adjusted to.
“It’s important for him to be in my corner,” Costa said. “He does sparring with me, he trains with me every day, and he helps me put the game plan together, but we’re getting used to this. We know it can happen, and now we have big team. We also have two UFC fighters training with us here and helping us out, so if we can’t be on each other’s corner, we still have to get the job done.”
Costa hasn’t fought in over a year. The last time he set foot in the octagon was in May 2024 when he defeated Kevin Borjas by TKO. He was supposed to compete at last year’s Noche UFC, but a knee injury forced him out of the bout. He went under the knife soon after, and has rehabbed and recovered since.
“I have zero percent of fear,” Costa said. “If I signed the contract, it’s because I truly feel 100 percent. I wouldn’t sign a fight if I didn’t. I’m happy. I’m not anxious. I’m just happy with how I feel and that I’m sharing a card with Diego, who’s headlining. It’s a big event, Noche UFC.”
