UFC Vegas 117 results: Arnold Allen halts Melquizael Costa's momentum, reminds division
Arnold Allen showed everyone why he's been a top UFC featherweight staple for so long.
In a night across combat sports where name value seemed to be warranted over skill, Arnold Allen sent a clear reminder to the division that he is among the featherweight elite. In the UFC Fight Night 276 main event, Allen (21-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) defeated red-hot Melquizael Costa (26-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – nearly winning every round from every judge. The bout took place Saturday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Allen has been atop the division for years, and while he's suffered losses, it's only come against the elite of the elite. He showed why vs. Costa, who rode a six-fight winning streak into the bout and won the 2025 MMA Junkie Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award.
It was a hard-fought battle from both men, but Allen really took advantage of Costa on the feet. He landed solid shots to Costa, who seemed a step behind and a step slower. He rocked Costa early in Round 1 and put together a significantly damaging Round 3, but somehow Costa remained in the fight for its entire scheduled duration.
With the win, Allen moves to 2-1 in his most recent three and bounces back from a loss to Jean Silva. Costa has his momentum stopped, at least for now. His now-defunct six-fight winning streak most notably included knockouts of Dan Ige and Morgan Charriere.