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UFC Catchweight

Matt Schnell VS Alessandro Costa

Meta Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.

Tale of the Tape

17-11-0, 1 NC Record 17-5-0
36 Age 30
173 cm Height 163 cm
178 cm Reach 170 cm
orthodox Stance orthodox
65% Finish rate 82%
12% KO rate 41%
53% Sub rate 41%

Result Summary

Alessandro Costa def. Matt Schnell TKO (punch) · R1 2:28

Alessandro Costa stopped Matt Schnell by TKO in the first round of their catchweight preliminary bout at UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim in Las Vegas on June 6, 2026. The two traded jabs and low kicks early before Costa landed a straight right hand that sent Schnell stumbling backward. Schnell shot for a desperate takedown, but Costa avoided it and followed him to the ground, landing hammer fists until the referee waved it off at 2:28 of round one. The finish gave Costa his second TKO of 2026 and extended his record of all four UFC victories coming by finish.

Fight Overview

Matt Schnell, a veteran flyweight who came out of a brief retirement only to drop three of his last four, looks to reverse his fortunes against the hard-finishing Brazilian Alessandro Costa, who has earned a performance bonus in every UFC win and enters on a first-round knockout streak. With Schnell's original opponent pulling out nine days before the event, both fighters face a short-notice test that could reshape the trajectory of careers heading in opposite directions.

Keys to Victory

Matt Schnell

  1. Schnell must use his slick grappling and submission threat to neutralize Costa's striking early and chain takedowns throughout.
  2. He needs to control pace and distance, avoiding prolonged exchanges on the feet where Costa's power creates constant knockout danger.
  3. Schnell should target the body and wear Costa down with volume striking to set up late takedowns if the fight stays competitive.

Alessandro Costa

  1. Costa must stay disciplined on the feet, cutting off the cage to prevent Schnell from using lateral movement to reset and recover.
  2. He should commit to combination pressure and target Schnell's chin with power shots, capitalizing on any defensive lapses to maintain his perfect UFC finishing rate.
  3. Costa needs to stuff early takedown attempts with strong underhook defense to keep the fight standing where his power is the decisive factor.

Last 5 fights

Matt Schnell

  1. L Joseph Morales Submission · R1 2:54 · 8 NOV 2025
  2. W Jimmy Flick Decision · R3 5:00 · 26 APR 2025
  3. L Cody Durden Submission · R2 0:29 · 7 SEPT 2024
  4. L Steve Erceg KO · R2 0:26 · 2 MAR 2024
  5. L Matheus Nicolau KO · R2 1:44 · 3 DEC 2022

Alessandro Costa

  1. W Stewart Nicoll TKO · R2 4:56 · 4 APR 2026
  2. L Alden Coria TKO · R3 0:47 · 13 SEPT 2025
  3. W Kevin Borjas TKO · R2 1:35 · 4 MAY 2024
  4. L Steve Erceg Decision · R3 5:00 · 11 NOV 2023
  5. W Jimmy Flick TKO · R2 1:03 · 17 JUN 2023

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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.

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