After retiring Schnell, Alessandro Costa wants top-15 UFC opponent

LAS VEGAS – Alessandro Costa met the media Saturday after his win over Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night 278.

>Costa (16-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) pounded out Schnell (17-11 MMA, 7-9 UFC) with a first-round TKO to close out the prelims at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Schnell announced his retirement the day after the loss.

>Costa and Schnell first were supposed to fight in September 2024, but Costa had to pull out. Schnell fought and lost to Cody Durden on short notice – and nearly retired after that setback, which would have left Costa without the chance to fight him.

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VEAN LO QUE PASÓ 😱

Alessandro Costa termina la pelea con lluvia de golpes en el primer round 💢#UFCVegas118 | Ver en vivo por @PPlusDeportespic.twitter.com/5xXBhYWM8u

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) June 6, 2026"I'm very happy," Costa said at his post-fight news conference. "This was a fight that I already wanted. Ever since the fight got canceled, I had plans to fight him again. Today was the day, and thank God everything went exactly the way we planned.

>"… When the injury happened and he talked about retirement, I just moved on mentally. I started focusing on other opportunities. But when he came back, it became a possibility again. It happened at the right time for me, coming off a win and building momentum. God's timing is perfect."

>Now Costa said he wants to start making some serious momentum at flyweight.

>"My next fight, I want someone in the top 15," Costa said. "That's my target now. I need to look at the rankings and see exactly where everything stands. Maybe then I can call out some names. Right now, I don't have a specific name in mind, but my focus is the top 15. I'm aiming for the top 15. That's the goal."

>Check out Costa's post-fight interview in the video above.

>This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: After retiring Schnell, Alessandro Costa wants top-15 UFC opponent