It has taken Melquizael Costa nearly nine years to arrive at his desired destination.
In this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Costa details his rise to the UFC and discusses his inspirations, his battle with a skin disease, his looming battle with Moises and some of the lessons he has learned along the way:
Sherdog.com: How did you get into fighting initially?
Costa: I started training first as a joke and then I continued because I thought it would help me beat people up. Later, I found out that street fighting wasn’t allowed. That’s when I started to focus on it more and started enjoying it more. The joke was the fact that I didn’t look like a fighter. I was very skinny. I loved to pick fights, but I was also afraid of fighting. I got invited by a friend to do some boxing sparring. At first, I was hesitant. The boxing gloves looked like they weighed a ton. I wore full protective gear. I took one punch and got knocked out. I woke up thinking how cool this was. Later, another friend invited me to train jiu-jitsu. I didn’t know what it was. He said it was all about submissions, no punching. I noticed that he had an injured hand. I asked if we should go ahead with the practice. He said he only needed one hand to submit me. He appealed to my ego. We went for it, and I got submitted. I signed up for classes so I could have my payback. It never actually happened. At first, I would get beat up at my academy. I could only attend during the time scheduled for professional fighters. I insisted so much [that] they let me join. I had to run the gauntlet. I got beat up day after day, until they realized I wouldn’t give up. They let me continue. I skipped basic martial arts. I started out getting beat to hell. I did it the hard way by joining the professional classes. I was only 13, but it was great for my career. I became much stronger and tougher. I’ve always been small and thin in my fights, but I would always beat my opponents.
Sherdog.com: Did you get emotional or financial support in your chosen career?
Costa: My family wasn’t too supportive. They felt I was too skinny for it. The only support came from my brother. Unfortunately, he died at a worksite accident in 2013. After his passing, I made up my mind that I had to honor his death by conquering my objectives. I would join jiu-jitsu competitions with only a one-way ticket. Sometimes I’d sign up without having the money to do so. We couldn’t afford training equipment. We would even share mouthguards at the gym. Gloves? First come, first served. Wraps? We had no idea about that. We’d kick each other without shin guards. We figured it was good to build calluses. After my brother died, I competed in my first jiu-jitsu championship, but I had always wanted to fight [in] MMA. When I was 17, I lied to the promoter and said I was actually 18, and that was my first professional bout. When I decided to go pro, I was told to choose between fighting and studies, but I didn’t give up on either one. I started selling popsicles on the street. I’d leave home early and go to school. After school, I’d grab my popsicle cart, take a bath at home and go back out to the street. My skin is sensitive, but I didn’t mind. After sales, around 6 or 7 p.m., I’d rush back home to grab my gi and go train at the academy. That was my routine. I didn’t have any real financial help, other than from my instructor, Master Sapao. The funny thing was that the fight had only seven days’ notice. I had just moved back from another town, and I was told they needed someone for a fight. We had a training partner who was buff but a little scared. My master knew that I wasn’t afraid to fight, so he put me in as a replacement. He asked me if I could cut the weight in seven days. I had never done it before. I said yes. I went there. We had a war. I won by decision. To this day, I haven’t been able to live only from fighting yet. I still wake up at 5 a.m. every day to teach classes.
Sherdog.com: Has having vitiligo been an additional challenge for you?
Costa: Being a fighter helped me a lot in regards to vitiligo. I suffered from that as a child. People would walk past me and clean themselves off. It started to affect me mentally during my teen years. I started to close myself off from the world. I would never take off my shirt. I was ashamed of my own body. In the state of Para, sometimes it’s [104 degrees]. I still refused to take off my shirt. I didn’t want to have my photo taken. Fighting took care of all that. During a training session, a [220-pound] training partner told me to take my shirt off. Plus, every gym takes photos at the end of every training session, so it became more natural. Vitiligo has been part of my whole life. It’s been there through my losses and wins. It was also there when I was bullied, when I let it bother me. Today, I can’t see myself without it. It’s my mark. It’s who I am. It’s very cool when I fight, and people tell me, “My son had vitiligo and wouldn’t leave his room, but now you’re his inspiration.” I’m happy to show the world that vitiligo is nothing strange. Some people like to make fun of it, and some on the receiving end don’t know how to deal with it. I didn’t know how. As a child, if someone famous or important had vitiligo, I may not have gone through all that. I know that people have been making fun of the fact that I have two colors. I think it’s funny. It doesn’t bother me. It’s mean, but I laugh at it. It seems like every time I fight, I get a new nickname. I’m used to it. People are creative. The way I see vitiligo is this: Something that used to be a serious mental problem today is a solution. I’m happy to help a young person who may be ashamed of their body due to an autoimmune condition. I like to show the world that we’re normal people.
Sherdog.com: Are you familiar with Scott Jorgensen and did his tenure in the UFC impact you in any way?
Costa: Fighting helped me overcome many obstacles. I used to be a bit anxious. My father didn’t have an education, so anything I would think of a career, my father would say it wasn’t possible. I wanted to be a police officer or maybe a doctor, and he felt I wouldn’t be able to do it because of my vitiligo. I used to love playing video games. When I played the UFC game, I saw someone full of spots: Scott Jorgensen. I didn’t know if that was some sort of prank. I did some research, and I found out he was a real UFC fighter. I realized that I, too, could be a UFC fighter.
Sherdog.com: What was your most memorable fight?
Costa: Every fight is important to me. The most memorable one was in 2016. I had been beating everyone around my town. I was told by my coach that we were done with the interior of the state. We needed to go to Belem next. We went to Belem, thinking we could make a living from fighting. Reality was something else. Once there, I was booked with 20 days’ notice to fight at [bantamweight]. Around that time, I weighed [172 pounds]. The guy was really tough. I was asked if I could make weight. I said I could. We ran out of money, even for food. I was down to mortadella and yuca flour. I had a war with Jonas dos Santos. I won, but I almost died cutting weight. Every time I stepped into the hot tub, I’d end up passing out. We didn’t have any sort of coach to help with that. We did things on the fly. The funny thing is that during that fight, someone in attendance saw me and referred me to my current coach at Chute Boxe: Grandmaster Joao Emilio. When coach Emilio put together a team around 2017 or 2018, he brought me in because of that fight.
Sherdog.com: What lessons have you learned from your few losses?
Costa: Losses are always bitter, but I have faith in God. I know that everything happens at the right time. All my wins were against very tough opponents, and all my losses were against easier ones. I’m not underestimating anyone, just commenting on their records. I lost due to stupid stuff like lack of focus. Those losses helped strengthen my mind. Every time I listened to my coach, things worked out. Every time I didn’t listen to him, things went poorly. I learned to do things his way. He’s been in the fight world for a very long time. When we joined Chute Boxe Bauru, he made it clear that he would never get us easy fights. He didn’t train us for easy fights. We had to face tough opponents. We weren’t supposed to pad our Sherdog records. That’s how it went. We only fought brick walls. We bang it out during our training sessions. I’ve always enjoyed that. When I joined the gym, I saw that all my partners were equally crazy. Only we understand each other—guys like Matheus da Silva Severino, Joanderson Brito and me. No one else fights each other like we do.
Sherdog.com: What can you say about your opponent?
Costa: Thiago is a complete fighter. His wrestling and jiu-jitsu are very good. He’s also a good striker. The main difference is that I know him, but he doesn’t know me. I’m looking forward to a war. It’s how I like to train. We bang it out every day. I like to get punched in the face. I like to punch people in the face, too. It’s great. I love it so much. I’m feeling right at home.
Sherdog.com: How are you feeling debuting as the underdog against an established UFC fighter?
Costa: To tell the truth, I’m feeling at home. My whole life, I’ve been the underdog. I feel great when I’m the underdog and when I’m booked at the last minute. Wow, I’m going to fight Thiago Moises. I’ve rooted for him many times. He’s good. I enjoy his style. I feel if he’s as hungry as I am, it will be an explosion of strikes. Everything is in place for a great fight.
Sherdog.com: How was your preparation for this fight?
Costa: You can see that my fighting style changed a little in my last fight. I made improvements. Everyone at LFA was surprised with the way I fought. I train at Chute Boxe Bauru in the state of Sao Paulo, and we just made a partnership with the Ohana academy in Texas. I spent some time there. In truth, I never stop training. Our coach has high expectations for us. Being in the UFC doesn’t excuse you from training. I visualized getting into the UFC this year. I visualized my debut being a war. There is someone else in the UFC I’d also like to fight, but I’m not going to ask for anything since I haven’t even had my debut yet. My dream is to have a war in the Octagon. I want to end up with a bloody face. I want both of us to have busted up faces. I want us to strike back and forth until all the fans are on their feet.
Sherdog.com: What inspires and motivates you?
Costa: My late brother was a big inspiration in my life. Thankfully, I made it to the UFC. Today, I have yet another motivation. That’s my daughter. Sometimes I wake up tired, and I see my daughter. I have no choice but to go to war for her. I also want people to know my hometown: Porto de Moz in the state of Para. It takes three days to get there by boat from the state capital. It’s almost impossible that someone from there would end up in the UFC. A highlight of my life won’t be Bruce Buffer saying my name; it will be when he calls out my hometown.