Alessandro Costa started off UFC 301 with a bang earlier tonight (Sat., May 4, 2024) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when the flyweight powerhouse stopped Kevin Borjas with a vicious second-round TKO (leg kicks and punches).
Costa was coming off a decision loss to Steve Erceg, who is headlining tonight’s UFC 301 PPV card opposite UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, so this was a key moment for “Nono” to show what he’s truly made of. Borjas proved to be one tough cookie in a debut loss to Joshua Van last November, but he didn’t hold up as well in his scrap with Costa to open the UFC 301 card.
Costa mostly had his way with Borjas in the first round and even had him staggered for a moment in the final seconds of the frame. Borjas was able to recover early into the second round, but Costa opened up with whipping leg kicks that immediately stalled Borjas. He was a sitting duck as Costa dug in leg kick after leg kick, eventually forcing Borjas to the canvas. Borjas was able to return to his feet, though, only to suffer more leg kicks. He eventually went down again and that’s when Costa rained down heavy punches for the TKO finish.
It was an impressive performance for Costa, who now pushes his UFC record to 2-2, and a great way to start UFC’s return to Brazil. Check out some highlights below:
WHAT A WAY TO START THE NIGHT
[ LIVE on @ESPNPlus | #UFC301 ] pic.twitter.com/JxEnJtYjcN
— UFC (@ufc) May 4, 2024
Alessandro Costa starts #UFC301 off with a win for Brazil pic.twitter.com/EJ3fjYOvNf
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 4, 2024
For complete UFC 301 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.