Alessandro Costa to face Cody Durden on UFC 329 preliminary card

Alessandro Costa will face Cody Durden on the preliminary card of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Costa steps in on short notice to replace Ode Osbourne on the Max Holloway versus Conor McGregor International Fight Week card. The Brazilian flyweight stopped Stewart Nicoll in April and finished Matt Schnell in the first round in June.

He told MMA Fighting that the quick turnaround was possible because his last outing ended fast and he stayed injury-free. Costa kept his weight low expecting another call. "At the point we're at now, opportunities come when you least expect them," he said.

Costa plans to push for four or even five bouts in 2026 and has his sights on the yet-to-be-announced Noche UFC card in September. Durden enters off an upset win over Jafel Filho but carries six losses in his past seven UFC appearances before that result. Costa described him as an all-or-nothing fighter who mixes strikes with scrambles and takedowns.

All four of Costa's UFC wins have come by knockout. The 30-year-old, who lives in Mexico, said a win on Saturday will earn him the right to call for a ranked opponent, with Tim Elliott and a rematch against Amir Albazi both on his list. Costa lost to Albazi in his UFC debut on 10 days' notice.