On Aug. 6, 2016, Randy Costa received an unexpected phone call.
On the other end of the line was his friend, training partner and UFC lightweight Joe Proctor.
“Hey man,” Proctor said when Costa answered.
“What the (expletive) is up, you (expletive) (expletive)?” Costa said.
It was 7 a.m., and Costa was on the opposite side of the country. The then-22-year-old native of Taunton, Mass., took an excursion out West to party at a three-day music festival with friends in Las Vegas.
At that hour, Costa hadn’t even gone to bed yet. After a wild night of partying in “Sin City,” he was in no condition to receive the news Proctor was about to break.
“I’m just waking up at that time or going to bed depending on how you look at it,” Costa said.
“He’s like, ‘What’s up?’ I’m like, ‘Nothing, dude. I’m in Vegas. I’m having a good time.’ He’s like, ‘I’ve got something to tell you.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, (expletive).’
“He’s like, ‘Devin got into a car accident this morning.’ I’m like, ‘OK.’ He got into a car accident. Whatever. He’s like, ‘Yeah. He’s not going to make it.’ Like, holy (expletive).”
Devin Carrier and his brother Logan had been driving home from practice when his car crashed into the woods. Logan walked away unscathed, but Devin was pronounced dead at the scene. The Carriers’ father, a police officer, was one of the first responders.
Due to Costa’s state when he took the phone call after a night out, it took a while for the situation to really settle in. Eventually, it became increasingly real.
“It was very weird thing,” Costa said. “I didn’t know how to react because I’m pretty (expletive) trashed, number one. Number two, this is my boy that’s no longer with us that I can’t be there for.
“… As time started going by, I was talking to my boys. I’m like, ‘Yo, Devin like actually really died. This isn’t funny. This is real (expletive). He’s actually no longer here.’”
Even inebriated, Costa knew the right thing to do. He had to head home. Twelve hours later, Costa caught a flight from Las Vegas to Massachusetts. Without sleeping, he made a quick stop at his house before he went straight to the Carriers’.
Costa joined Carrier’s family and friends in mourning and reflected on the life of his best friend with those who knew him best. Carrier was known for “ball-busting” Costa. Perhaps what happened next was one last joke at Costa’s expense.
“Of course it was really (expletive) sad, but there was some light,” Costa said. “We talked a lot about Devin. We’re (expletive) this and that. We’re all sitting there crying. I just got back from Vegas and I’m (expletive) trashed. I have a tattoo sticker on my neck that says ‘Bad girl.’
“We’re all crying and then all of sudden they’re like, ‘Randy, what the (expletive) is on your neck?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, just give me a (expletive) break.’ This stupid sticker.”
Photo via Randy Costa on Instagram
Carrying out a legacy
During fight week, Devin Carrier never leaves Randy Costa’s side. The UFC bantamweight carries a picture of his fallen friend everywhere when gearing up for fight night.
Not only in this life, but also since his death, Carrier has had a big impact on Costa.
The two met around 2010, when their girlfriends at the time were working together. When Costa heard his girlfriend knew a “fighter,” he was skeptical. “Everyone has had a fight,” Costa said.
Through the power of Facebook, Costa looked into Carrier’s background. Much to his surprise, Carrier was legit.
“We ended up forming a relationship over Facebook,” Costa said. “Talk and text and (expletive). Then he came to (Joe) Lauzon’s (gym). That’s when we really kicked it off.”
When talking about gym culture, Costa broke it down in layman’s terms. “Friends in the gym” relationships aren’t usually the same as “friends outside of the gym” relationships. Costa didn’t have many deep bonds with his gym friends, but Carrier was an exception. His gym buddy became his real life best friend.
“Devin and I, we were tight,” Costa said. “It was more than just the gym stuff. Devin and I trained often, but it wasn’t enough to form this friendship. Our friendship was much deeper than just the gym.”
Every time Costa reminisces on Carrier, he lights up. Their friendship was comical, honest and caring. According to Costa, there was a lot of “ball-busting” – a lot.
“We were always just being idiots and dumbasses and (expletive) something up,” Costa said. “Always talking (expletive) about someone. Just being idiots. I think that’s why him and I were so tight. We were very alike in that regard.
“… We liked the same things. He (expletive) hated video games. I hated video games. We’d be like, ‘Everyone at Lauzon’s is a bunch of nerds.’ It was all this stuff we’d always connect on so well. He was just an awesome dude.”
Ball-busting aside, Costa can’t forget Carrier’s true character. Carrier befriended anyone and everyone and always treated those around him with respect.
“He was just like, a real, real good dude,” Costa said. “He was real. No (expletive). It was what it was. What you saw was what you got. He wasn’t feeding (expletive). He was great to all of his peers and everyone around him. Friends, family, people he didn’t even know. He was a great son. A great boyfriend to his girlfriends.
“He was a good, raw, real dude. You don’t come across that as often these days in the fighting world. There’s a lot of cliquey (expletive) in the fights, but he didn’t give a (expletive). He was just friends with everyone. It didn’t make a difference.”
Photo via. Randy Costa on Instagram
Making good on a promise
As best friends, Costa and Carrier talked a lot – especially about career aspirations. At the time of his death, Costa was in limbo between his amateur and professional career. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever return, but shortly before Carrier’s death, he made a promise that he would.
“I always told him I’d take one more,” Costa said. “So it was kind of something that I owed to him. Maybe if he hadn’t passed, who knows? Maybe I would have never fought. Who really knows? I guess the real reason why I did come out of my layoff was because I owed that to him.
“I told him I had to do that. I would be doing not only myself a disservice, but a disservice to him and as a man to not take that fight like I said I would. I’ll carry that with me because that was what drove me.”
In April at UFC 236, Costa made his promotional debut and carried a picture of his fallen pal everywhere he went – on the scale, to the cage, and even when his loss was being announced by Bruce Buffer.
In a classy move, Costa’s victorious opponent Brandon Davis decided to dedicate his mic time to Carrier. Getting Carrier’s name on a UFC broadcast was a long sought-after goal for Costa. The move by Davis left him awestruck.
“I was standing at the official weigh-ins and I had his picture,” Costa said. “I was fighting so hard not to (expletive) cry, but I had a poker face on. I was getting that crying feeling like, ‘We actually (expletive) did it.’ It was in-(expletive)-sane.
“(Davis) beat me and he asked me after to hold the picture. That’s (expletive) so cool. Him knowing how much that meant to me just to have him here with me. Now he’s going to take the attention off the fact that he just beat me and put it on my friend who’s no longer here? That’s really (expletive) cool.”
Photo via Randy Costa Facebook
A homecoming for two
When Joe Lauzon, their coach and training partner, took on Michael Johnson at TD Garden in Boston in 2013, Costa and Carrier were in attendance. Costa remembers joking with Carrier about how one day they’d be competing in the cage in that building.
Fast forward six years, and Randy Costa and Devin Carrier are about to make that dream a reality.
“It was just a pipe dream, like, ‘Imagine if we fought here? Holy (expletive), that’d be insane,’” Costa said. “It was never serious, but there was definitely a conversation. ‘Imagine if that was us one day.’ Now it’s like, ‘Dude, it is going to be us next week.’”
Friday night, Costa (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has his sophomore promotional outing when he takes on Boston Salmon (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 6 at TD Garden.
Not only will Costa carry Carrier’s picture like usual, but Carrier’s family will be in attendance. Seeing them? That’s when Costa thinks the reality of a once dreamed-upon situation will sink in.
“I’m already bigger than myself with the position that I’m in,” Costa said. “I think there are a lot of people who say I shouldn’t be here. (Expletive) them. It doesn’t make a difference. Just that alone makes it much bigger than myself.
“Once I see his family it’s going to be night and day. It’s going to switch, ‘Holy (expletive). (Expletive) your feelings. Let’s have some fun.’ That’s it.”
Six years in the making, Randy Costa and Devin Carrier's dream will come true at UFC on ESPN 6