Costa Withdraws From UFC Vegas 97

Alessandro Costa has withdrawn from his Matt Schnell fight.

“NoNo” was scheduled to face “Danger” on the UFC Vegas 97 main card this Sat. night (Sept. 7, 2024) at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a report from MMA Fighting, there are no plans to find Schnell a flyweight replacement.

“I won’t be able to fight this September 7th due to an injury that won’t allow me to get 100 percent for this fight,” Costa wrote on Instagram. “It was a very important fight to get into the rankings and it wouldn’t be a good idea to fight injured.”

“My team and I decided not to [fight],” Costa continued. “I’m already recovering and will be ready to go back very soon!. Thank you all for your great support and good vibes always.”

Costa (14-4) is just a couple of months removed from his Kevin Borjas victory at the UFC 301 pay-per-view (PPV) last May in Brazil. As for Schnell (16-8, 1 NC), he’s looking to snap a two-fight losing streak after recently falling to Matheus Nicolau and Steve Erceg.

For the revised UFC Vegas 97 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.