Melquizael Costa continued his winning ways at UFC Vegas 106, but it wasn’t an easy outing.
UFC featherweights Melquizael Costa and Julian Erosa treated fans to a wild three-round war to kick off the UFC Vegas 106 main card. The event was headlined by a welterweight clash between top contenders Gilbert Burns and Michael Morales at the Apex.
In a pivotal showdown for Costa and Erosa, the featherweights didn’t disappoint as they went toe-to-toe inside the Octagon. But for Costa, he had to overcome some early adversity thanks to an apparent foot injury he suffered just minutes into the fight.
Once Costa found his footing, he and Erosa stood in the pocket and threw heavy shots in one of the craziest fights of the year.
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Melquizael Costa fights through foot injury, Julian Erosa at UFC Vegas 106
After a back-and-forth first round between Costa and Erosa, the UFC Vegas 106 broadcast zeroed in on Costa’s left foot, which appeared to show multiple lacerations on his toes. It was a nasty injury, but Costa waved off the cameraman and opted to continue fighting at his ferocious pace.
Watch Costa wave off the broadcast in between rounds below.
Despite a compromised foot, Costa put his right foot on the gas pedal and pressured Erosa with his striking. Costa stunned Erosa multiple times in Round 2, including with a nasty head kick that nearly finished the fight and sent Erosa to sleep.
In the third and final round, Costa and Erosa traded heavy shots with their striking and went the full distance. After three rounds of jam-packed action, Costa got the nod on the judges’ scorecards by unanimous decision.
Costa has now won four fights in a row, including a first-round submission that stunned the UFC Seattle crowd in February against Andre Fili. Entering UFC Vegas 106, Costa outpointed Christian Rodriguez in another closely-contested matchup just weeks after his UFC Seattle victory.
Paddy Pimblett’s former rival earned a thunderous knockout on the UFC Vegas 106 prelims
The UFC Vegas 106 prelims didn’t disappoint, as Jared Gordon got back in the win column with a ridiculous one-punch knockout against Thiago Moises. Gordon had been winless in three of his previous four fights entering UFC Vegas 106.
Gordon could potentially earn himself a future rematch with Paddy Pimblett after his impressive showing at UFC Vegas 106. Gordon lost to Pimblett by a controversial decision at UFC 282, in what many believe should’ve been Pimblett’s first UFC defeat.
Pimblett has since defeated Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and Bobby Green to skyrocket up the lightweight ladder. Pimblett is enjoying some time off after UFC 314, as he shared a dramatic weight gain just weeks after finishing Chandler.
Follow along here at Bloody Elbow for all the latest news and notes from UFC Vegas 106.