Randy Costa

Randy Costa (born July 6, 1994)[1] is an American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2018, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Randy Costa
Costa throwing a spinning heel kick
BornRandy Costa[1]
(1994-07-06) July 6, 1994
Taunton, Massachusetts, United States
Other namesThe Zohan
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach73.0 in (185 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofTaunton, Massachusetts
TeamLauzon Mixed Martial Arts[3]
American Top Team (2020–present)[4]
Sanford MMA (2020–present)[5]
Years active2018–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins7
By knockout7
Losses4
By knockout2
By submission2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Costa began to box in the sixth grade and then got into kickboxing in the eighth grade. He later wrestled for Taunton High School as a junior in the 160-pound weight class. Adding the element of jiu-jitsu, Costa began training for an MMA career during the summer between his junior and senior years at Taunton High. Costa was a student-athlete at Taunton High. He played football as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. Costa was selected as the Defensive Player of The Game following the Tigers' 35-7 Thanksgiving Day win over Coyle-Cassidy in 2010 at Aleixo Stadium.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starting his professional career in 2018, Costa fought only for the Cage Titans organization, compiling a perfect 4–0 record with all the wins coming via stoppage in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Costa made his UFC debut against Brandon Davis on April 13, 2019 at UFC 236.[7] He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.[8]

Costa faced Boston Salmon on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[9]

Costa faced Journey Newson on September 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley[10] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[11] This win earned him his first Performance of the Night award.[12]

As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Costa was expected to face Trevin Jones on March 6, 2021 at UFC 259.[13][5][14] However, Costa withdrew from the bout in mid-February citing injury and was replaced by Mario Bautista.[15][16]

Costa faced Adrian Yanez at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw on July 24, 2021.[17] Despite a strong first round for Costa, he lost the fight by technical knockout in round two.[18]

Costa faced Tony Kelley on December 11, 2021 at UFC 269.[19] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[20]

Costa faced Guido Cannetti on October 1, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 211.[21] He was submitted by Cannetti via rear-naked choke in the first round.[22]

On October 20, 2022, it was announced that Costa was no longer on the UFC roster.[23]

Gamebred Fighting Championship

In his first fight since his release, Costa returned to the featherweight division to face Carlos Espinosa on June 16, 2023, at Combat FC 4. Costa won the bout via first minute TKO.[24]

Costa is scheduled to face Jason Knight in a bare-knuckle bout on November 10, 2023, at Gamebred FC 5.[25]

Personal life

Costa graduated from Taunton High in the spring of 2012 and then headed to Massasoit Community College in Brockton. He transferred to Bridgewater State University where he majored in political science.[26]

Costa's longtime friend and former training partner, Devin Carrier, died in a car crash in 2016 when Carrier was 21 years old. Costa brings a picture of his friend to weigh-ins.[27]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
11 matches 7 wins 4 losses
By knockout 7 2
By submission 0 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 7–4 Carlos Espinosa TKO (body punches) Combat FC 4 June 16, 2023 1 0:58 Wilmington, Massachusetts, United States Return to Featherweight.
Loss 6–4 Guido Cannetti Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan October 1, 2022 1 1:04 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–3 Tony Kelley TKO (elbows) UFC 269 December 11, 2021 2 4:15 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–2 Adrian Yanez TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw July 24, 2021 2 2:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–1 Journey Newson KO (head kick) UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley September 19, 2020 1 0:41 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 5–1 Boston Salmon TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman October 18, 2019 1 2:15 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Loss 4–1 Brandon Davis Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 236 April 13, 2019 2 1:12 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win 4–0 Rob Fuller TKO (punches) Cage Titans 42 January 26, 2019 1 0:42 Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Featherweight bout.
Win 3–0 Chris Thorne KO (punches to the body) Cage Titans 41 November 3, 2018 1 1:11 Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Win 2–0 Kenny Lewis KO (head kick) Cage Titans 40 August 18, 2018 1 0:11 Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Bantamweight debut.
Win 1–0 Stacey Anderson TKO Cage Titans 39 June 30, 2018 1 0:46 Kingston, Massachusetts, United States Featherweight debut.

[28]

See also

References
  1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: September 19, 2020
  2. ufc.com. "Randy Costa". ufc. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  3. Joe McDonagh (July 6, 2020). "UFC: Randy Costa Hints at Late Summer Return: "I love the fight, I'll just say it'll be an exciting one"". cagesidepress.com.
  4. Joe McDonagh (July 6, 2020). "UFC: Randy Costa Hints at Late Summer Return: "I love the fight, I'll just say it'll be an exciting one"". cagesidepress.com.
  5. Farah Hannoun (December 5, 2020). "UFC 259's Randy Costa hopes to continue gaining promotional push with fan-friendly style". MMAjunkie.com.
  6. "Taunton's Randy Costa fighting his way to the top". Wicked Local. 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  7. Marcel Dorff (2019-03-20). "Brandon Davis meets undefeated newcomer Randy Costa during UFC 236 in Atlanta" (in Dutch). mmadnanl.com. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  8. "UFC 236 results: Brandon Davis throws down with Randy Costa before scoring submission win". MMA Junkie. 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  9. "Randy Costa shares personal moment with Boston Salmon after TKO win at UFC on ESPN 6". MMA Junkie. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  10. "UFC adds Randy Costa vs. Journey Newson to Sept. 26 event". MMA Junkie. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  11. Evanoff, Josh (2020-09-19). "UFC Vegas 11 Results: Randy Costa Lands Dazzling Head Kick KO on Journey Newson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  12. "UFC on ESPN+ 36 Bonuses: Four Fighters Get Performance Checks". MMA News. 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  13. "Randy Costa vs. Trevin Jones on tap for UFC event on March 6". MMA.uno. 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  14. Randy Costa [@RandyCosta135] (November 24, 2020). "New 4 fight contract: ✅ Bout Agreement: ✅ …" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. Nolan King (February 16, 2021). "Randy Costa withdraws from UFC 259; Trevin Jones needs new opponent". MMAjunkie.com.
  16. Farah Hannoun (2021-02-18). "With Randy Costa out, Trevin Jones meets Mario Bautista at UFC 259 on March 6". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  17. "Reese's vs. Dr. Pepper: Randy Costa, Adrian Yanez to settle friendly score at UFC event July 24". MMA Junkie. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  18. "Reese's vs. Dr. Pepper: Randy Costa, Adrian Yanez to settle friendly score at UFC event July 24". MMA Junkie. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  19. DNA, MMA (2021-09-04). "Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley toegevoegd aan UFC 269 op 11 december". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  20. Behunin, Alex (2021-12-11). "UFC 269: Tony Kelley Smashes Randy Costa for Second Round TKO Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  21. Jay Anderson (2022-06-17). "Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti Booked for UFC's October 1 Card". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  22. Dewar, Val (2022-10-01). "UFC Vegas 61: Oldest Bantamweight in UFC, Guido Cannetti Subs Randy Costa In Little Over a Minute". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  23. Martin, Damon (2022-10-20). "Yamato Nishikawa removed from UFC 280 lineup, dropped from the roster; Randy Costa also released by UFC". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  24. AlexBehunin (2023-06-18). "Highlights! Former UFC fighter Crushes Opponent In 58 Seconds". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  25. "UFC alums Jason Knight, Randy Costa take gloves off for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight". MMA Junkie. 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  26. "Taunton's Randy Costa fighting his way to the top". Wicked Local. 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  27. "'$50,000 fireworks show': UFC's Randy Costa letting fights do the talking as he looks to honor fallen friend's legacy". SOT Sports. 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  28. Sherdog.com. "Randy Costa". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
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