Like many Brazilian fighters, Alessandro CostaHis career was strongly influenced by José Aldo. And just days away from sharing the card with the MMA legend, Costa has no problem fanboying about this moment.
Costa (13-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) faces Kevin Borjas (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Saturday in the opening fight of the UFC 301 in Brazil – the same card in which Aldo makes his long-awaited return to MMA. Aldo, a former UFC and WEC featherweight champion, is coming out of retirement from MMA to face rising contender Jonathan Martinez in the card’s co-main event at the Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+) .
This is a special moment for Costa, who can hardly believe he is sharing the same card with the man who inspired him to begin his journey in combat sports 14 years ago.
“For me, this is a dream come true,” said Costa Addicted to MMA in Spanish. “When I started training jiu-jitsu, at 14 years old, I was talking to my coach about how crazy it would be to one day be at the top of the UFC fighting in an event with José Aldo. Because of him, I gained a lot of motivation to start fighting. He has a movie called Stronger Than The World where he shows his life and as a person and athlete he inspired me a lot.
“So when I found out he was fighting on the same card, it was just incredible. I never met him. I don’t know him, it will be the first time I’ve seen him. Interestingly, we are both from Manaus, we are from the same city. In fact, my first amateur fight was at his gym, where he started training.”
Costa’s dream almost didn’t come true and, in fact, just a few months ago it seemed impossible.
Aldo retired from MMA in September 2022 after losing a decision to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. He resumed his boxing career after that, but made it clear that MMA was a closed chapter. However, everything changed in March when it was reported that Aldo was back at UFC 301.
“This is a dream,” explained Costa. “When he retired, I thought, ‘Oh, man. It’s not happening’, but then I had this fight in Brazil, and it turns out that my idol is coming back on the same card. This is so cool. I’m very happy to fight in Brazil and have the opportunity to share the card with someone I admire.”
In addition to sharing the card with Aldo, this will also be the first time that Costa fights professionally in his homeland. The 28-year-old, who trains at Brazilian Warriors and Lobo Gym in Mexico, has only fought in the United States and Mexico.
Overall, this is a memorable moment in Costa’s career.
“I started my MMA career in Mexico, my whole career was there,” said Costa. “I’m curious to see how the public will treat me. I’m not very well known in Brazil. My whole career was in Mexico and now that I’m in the UFC, people in Brazil are starting to know me. I’m happy to fight in Brazil because my father will be able to come and I’m bringing my first coach, who was the one who started me in all this. They will be there, as well as friends. But above all, being able to fight on the same card as one of my idols, José Aldo, is something very special.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 301.
