Melquizael Costa made short work of Andre Fili on Feb. 22, tapping out the longtime veteran with a guillotine choke for his second submission in a row. With no time to waste, he returns to the cage five weeks later to take on Christian Rodriguez at UFC Mexico.
Costa had to wait eight months in between his past two UFC bouts, not his fault, and volunteered to stay more active after starting his new UFC contract with a stoppage win. UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby listened, and offered him another match moments after his UFC Seattle win.
“The fight ended and I said, ‘Hey Dana [White], if you need me this week, next week, chama,’” Costa told MMA Fighting. “I was joking, but they took it seriously [laughs]. I’m kidding. I was doing medical exams after the fight, standard stuff, and my coach came saying Sean Shelby called asking if I wanted to fight on March 29. My body said no, and my mind said let’s go because we have bills to pay [laughs]. I thought it wouldn’t happen, but they already sent us two names on our way to the hotel, ‘CeeRod’ and Jamall Emmers.”
Rodriguez won five of seven so far in the UFC after a recent decision victory over Austin Bashi in January, while Emmers dropped to 3-4 in the company with a knockout defeat to Nate Landwehr in March 2024.
“In theory, a fight with Jamal Emmers would be easier but it wouldn’t add a lot,” Costa said. “I just finished someone that hadn’t been submitted in 10 years, someone with a name that has fought all the best in the world, and then fighting Jamal Emmers on a skid, that wouldn’t be worth it. ‘CeeRod’ would be more viable. I like to take other people’s hype. He’s on a roll, he has Mexican heritage, so this is going to be an exciting fight.”
Costa landed in Brazil two days after the win and called his manager to confirm that the fight would really happen on March 29, and went straight to the gym that same night to start another training camp. Costa flew to Mexico City days later to prepare for the altitude, finishing his camp at UFC’s Performance Institute in Mexico.
“We always expect the opponent to come in for a fight. We wait and see what they have to offer,” Costa said. “I like to study everybody in the UFC. I don’t miss a single UFC event so I know ‘CeeRod’ since his fight with [Raul] Rosas Jr. He’s a kid with a big heart and hunger, he’s on a roll. He’s just like me — I don’t know if he has a lot of bills to pay, wife and kid, but we have the same hunger. I think that’s great because he will come fearless, ready to to brawl.”
