Athletes
Randy Costa Has Nothing To Lose
UFC Bantamweight Randy Costa Is Confident And Ready To Push Himself To A New Limit Against Guido Cannetti At UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan
Prior to making his UFC debut, Randy Costa had only four professional fights that amounted to a total of 170 seconds of professional fighting experience.
Costa’s four first-round knockouts punched his ticket to the UFC and put the Massachusetts native on the map as one of the hottest prospects in the bantamweight division. Since then, he’s gone 2-3 in the UFC, gaining experience in tough matchups against the likes of Brandon Davis and Adrian Yanez.
Even though some fights haven’t gone his way, they taught the 28-year-old lessons that he’s taking with him into the Octagon this weekend when he faces Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan.
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“I’m pretty green in terms of my professional fighting career. More than have of my fights have been in the UFC and I only have nine total fights. I don’t have many fights,” Costa told UFC.com. “My whole on the job training is in the UFC Octagon and that’s a tough place to be starting off. I think I’ve done a lot of really good things in the cage and a lot of really bad things in the cage, but I think with my age and how inexperienced I am, there is a ton of room for growth.”
Costa took some time off to reevaluate his game, adding physical and mental tools that he felt like were missing. The time off has only added fuel to the fire and he’s looking to prove that he’s not just an all-action fighter, but one of the bantamweights that can compete in the upper echelon of the division.
Fight fans got a glimpse of that in his two-round banger of a fight with Yanez, who is highly considered to be one of the rising contenders at 135lbs.
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“I know that my ceiling is really high, and I was able to showcase a performance against Adrian Yanez that I’m right there and I can turn this thing around. Saturday is step number one,” Costa said. “UFC has matched me with other really good fighters and exciting fighters, and we’ve always delivered. I think this [fight with Cannetti] is going to be another one of those fights.”
Cannetti comes into UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan off a beautiful first-round KO over Kris Moutinho. It was an important win for the 42-year-old, who was on a three-fight losing streak prior to the bout.
And even though Cannetti hasn’t had massive success in UFC, Costa isn’t looking past him for a second.
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“It makes sense stylistically. We’re both guys who throw caution to the win, we don’t give a f*** about our safety, like it is what it is, and that makes for the recipe of a really fun fight,” Costa said. “While his record may not be that intriguing, he’s never in a boring fight. He’s tough, he’s going to throw bombs and try to knock me out but he’s not going to find success and I’m going to knock him out.”
A knockout win would be the perfect way for “The Zohan” to put his recent losses behind him and get back on track. An emphatic victory would also prove that Costa has taken the necessary strides in his game to get over the hump.
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“I don’t feel like I have anything to lose. I don’t feel any pressure; I just get to go out there and have another opportunity to chase a dream and live a dream,” Costa said. “What’s stressing going to do?”
“I’m going in there to f****** smash this weekend, man. I’m excited.”
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
