Melquizael Costa wants birthday fight at UFC's Sphere show after entry into 7-7-7 club
LAS VEGAS – Melquizael Costa beat Shayilan Nuerdanbieke with a third-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 58 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Costa, who picked up his first finish in the UFC.
Result: Melquizael Costa def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:50
Updated records: Costa (21-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Nuerdanbieke (39-12 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Key stats: Costa became the first to stop Nuerdanbieke in roughly five years.
Costa on the fight’s key moment
“As soon as I kind of timed it wrong, he actually got to me. I put some heavy weight on my hips. When I got down to the ground, then I saw that I was able to turn things around and pull them and I was like, ‘He’s all stretched out. We’re going to finish this right here.'”
Melquizael Costa def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, UFC on ESPN 58
Costa on 7 KOs, 7 subs, 7 decision wins
“From the start, I wanted to finish. This is something we always try to do. We always want to win, but I knew that this particular one, if I got the (submission), it would be seven submission wins, seven knockouts, seven decisions on my resume.”
Costa on what he wants next
“I always say I need a month, and within a week, I want to train again. We’re going to go back into training pretty soon, and I just heard Noche UFC, the show would be on Sept. 14. Actually, that’s my birthday. So that would be a great gift to have if somebody wants.”
To hear more from Costa, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.