UFC’s Alessandro Costa looks to stop Matt Schnell and earn a spot in the rankings

Alessandro Costa considers himself a big name in the UFC flyweight division and believes he will soon prove it to the world.

Costa (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) returns to the cage on Sept. 7 in Las Vegas to face Matt Schnell, one of the most experienced fighters in the 125-pound division. Costa believes a win over Schnell (16-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) should be more than enough to put him in the official UFC rankings, especially if he manages to stop him.

“Of course, I’m fighting for a spot in the rankings,” Costa told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I think he’s ranked 11 or 12. Either way, that’s a good position. I’m sure that if I beat him, I’ll get into the rankings.”

“I have my doubts about the position, whether I will be in the top 15 or top 10. But I am confident that with a win I will get into the rankings, which is my goal for this year. That is what I had planned. I wanted to train well, make smart moves and not take too many short-term fights and get into the rankings, so I can fight for the title in the future.”

Costa is 2-1 in his last three fights, with his only loss coming in a close decision against former UFC title challenger Steve Erceg. In his most recent fight in May, Costa scored a second-round TKO over Peruvian Kevin Borjas.

He is confident that he can maintain the momentum and also defeat Schnell.

“He’s a tough fighter with a lot of experience in the UFC, but we also noticed that he has a lot of holes in his game, and I’m going to take advantage of that to go for the knockout or the submission because of those holes,” Costa explained. “Of course, he’s also dangerous. He’s shown that in his fights. He’s someone who exposes himself but he’s also very dangerous. We put together a good strategy for his style and I trust my plan.”