Randy Costa (born July 6, 1994) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who formerly competed in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division. A professional since 2018, he most notably fought in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

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 Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

, 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.

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 ''UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on April 13, 2019 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background In the United States, per an extension of its new r ...

. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round. 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. Costa faced Journey Newson on September 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley He won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned him his first '' Performance of the Night'' award. As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Costa was expected to face

Trevin Jones Trevin Jones (born August 4, 1990) is a Guamanian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.(UFC) Background Jones started his MMA career when he first enrolled in an amateur fi ...

on March 6, 2021 at

UFC 259 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. However, Costa withdrew from the bout in mid-February citing injury and was replaced by Mario Bautista. Costa faced Adrian Yañez at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw on July 24, 2021. Despite a strong first round for Costa, he lost the fight by technical knockout in round two. Costa faced Tony Kelley on December 11, 2021 at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Costa faced

Guido Cannetti Guido Martín Cannetti Álvarez (born December 19, 1979) is an Argentine mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division. He is most notable for his stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up, Gui ...

on October 1, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 211 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 211'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 69'' and ''UFC Vegas 61'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 1, 2022, at the UFC Apex ...

. He was submitted by Cannetti via rear-naked choke in the first round. On October 20, 2022, it was announced that Costa was no longer on the UFC roster.

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. Costa faced Jason Knight in a bare-knuckle bout on November 10, 2023, at Gamebred FC 6. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Bare-knuckle boxing

Costa made his

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. The promotion was founded in April 2018, and is presided over by David Feldman. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official st ...

debut against Nick Burgos on June 14, 2025 at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun. He won the fight by knockout at the end of the first round.

Personal life

Costa graduated from Taunton High in the spring of 2012 and then headed to

Massasoit Community College Massasoit Community College is a public community college in Brockton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1966 and named for Massasoit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag. Massasoit Community College is accredited by the New England Commission of H ...

in Brockton. He transferred to

Bridgewater State University Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Massachusetts, N ...

where he majored in political science. 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.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , NC , align=center, , Brandon Davis , NC (illegal knee) , Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

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Wilmington, Massachusetts Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population was 23,349 at the 2020 United States census. History Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Re ...

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Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Rob Fuller , TKO (punches) , Cage Titans 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

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Bare-knuckle boxing record

, - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Nick Burgos , KO , BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Randy 1994 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Sportspeople from Taunton, Massachusetts Mixed martial artists from Massachusetts American people of Portuguese descent Sportspeople of Portuguese descent 21st-century American sportsmen