Alessandro Costa and Diego Lopez are once again set up to share cards in the UFC, but with a price.
Former Featherweight UFC title contender, Lopes, with Brazilian star Jean Silva and fellow teammate and friend Costa, will act across from Alden Coria in the qualifying round for the September 13 show in San Antonio, Texas.
“(It’s) pros and cons,” Costa told MMA Fighting. “It seems like it’s going to be my third fight on the card, so that’s good because I’m on Diego’s corner, and Diego can’t be on my corner.”
Lopez has done it in the past, beating Brian Ortega on the final Nosh UFC card and heading back to the octagon side of the sphere to corner his teammate Alexa Grasso against Valentina Shevchenko. Cornering before his fight was not permitted.
“The UFC (the rope won’t be my corner),” Costa said. “We tried, and it was the third fight of the night and they said he couldn’t do it, but I’m on his horn.”
The Brazilian Warriors fighter won the same time that they shared their cards in Lux Fight League 7 in Monterrey, Mexico in 2019. Lopez tapped Marco Bertran to defend his 145-pound title, while Costa defeated Diego Ortiz by decision.
The second time at UFC 295 was not the Costa way. He lost Steve Elsegg’s decision just before Lopez beat Pat Sabatini.
“It was a great camp together,” Costa said. “Diego, despite him losing to (Alexander) Volkanovsky for the belt, he is very motivated to come back. You can expect a great fight from him.
“(Silva) is a tough fight, and we know that, but I think Diego has far more experience than Jean,” he continued. “Gene is not fighting top fighters like Diego. Of course we don’t underestimate him. We know who the fighter Jean is, but we know who Diego is. Diego is very focused and has past game plans.
Advances the Brazil-Brazil main event in Texas, despite all the verbal attacks from Silva, who targeted Lopez, Costa said his teammates’ hearts were bulletproof.
“It’s part of his character,” Costa said of Silva. “There’s nothing to say he’s going to affect us. It’s not the first time, so we know how to deal with that type of character. Here in Mexico, a few guys tried to do the same, so we’re used to this type of character. It’s Jean.
Costa wants to return to his victory column to get off to a great start in San Antonio, celebrating his lack of fighting Mexican flyweight with a card built on Mexico’s Independence Day. Korea, Texas, intervened to replace the Edgar Chairs.
“It’s going to be a great fight,” Costa said of the Chairs. “He’s popular in this country. I was happy to be able to fight tough athletes in good fights, but now I’m fighting Alden Korea. He’s a Gringo because if I’m not wrong, he’s fighting at home, so I’m still able to represent Mexico and Brazil.
“Alden is a more striker, has good defense and a lot of experience, but I think the Edgar Chairs are a little more dangerous than him. I’m not underestimating him, but I’m not confident.
Costa has lived in Mexico for over a decade and hopes that Mexican fans will support him in San Antonio.
“A lot of people were commenting, ‘Damn, two of our best fighters, I don’t know who I’m rooting for,” Costa said. “It was a good fight, but I’m thinking about fighting him in the future. My idea is to win this one quickly and come back again in November.
0 comment