Featherweights collide in Space City on Saturday night, as No. 14-ranked Dan Ige takes on Melquizael Costa at UFC Houston.
Ige (19–10, 7 KOs, 5 SUB) persists as a perennial fan-favorite despite recent struggles, and he’ll look to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to Patricio Pitbull last July. Costa (25–7, 8 KOs, 8 SUB) will attempt to push his winning streak to six and finally crack the 145-pound rankings.
Costa enters as a -205 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Ige sits as a +170 underdog. The total is set at 2.5 rounds.
Ige vs. Costa Preview
Dan Ige
It’s been a turbulent run for “100K” Ige. While the Hawaiian jiu-jitsu specialist’s signature “anytime-anywhere” philosophy consistently brings fans to their feet, it hasn’t quite yielded a standout resume. Ige has dropped eight of his last 13 bouts dating back to July 2020.
Granted, Ige was frequently stacked up against some of the top talent on the active roster, including featherweight’s current top three contenders: Movsar Evloev, Lerone Murphy, and Diego Lopes. The last of which, he nearly beat on just three hours’ notice.
Still, the 5-foot-7 Ige enters the Octagon Saturday night at 34 years old and coming off a deflating unanimous decision loss to Patricio “Pushing 40” Pitbull. Younger competition has typically posed an even tougher test for Ige, and he’ll now face one of the biggest age discrepancies of his career.
Melquizael Costa
Melquizael Costa has certainly hit his stride after a rocky start to his UFC career in 2023. The 29-year-old Brazilian has rattled off five-straight wins — with four victories in 2025, alone — punctuated by a first-round, headkick knockout of Morgan Charriere in December.
A 5-foot-10 southpaw, “The Dalmation” pairs solid striking with opportunistic grappling, averaging over four significant strikes per minute and nearly two takedowns a fight. Sixteen of his 25 career wins have come by finish (64%), including eight knockouts and eight submissions. Ten of his bouts have been stopped within the opening round.
Ige vs. Costa Pick, Best Bet
Saturday’s featherweight bout pits contenders on seemingly opposite trajectories. While Ige has faded in the twilight of his career, Costa appears ready for takeoff. Expect the Brazilian to lean on his grappling edge — Ige got taken down five times in his last bout against Pitbull — and potentially threaten with some submission attempts.
Though stopping Ige, who has never been finished, seems unlikely, a decision would produce the same effect in lifting Costa into the top 15.
