Dan Ige is set to re-enter the octagon next month, facing a rapidly ascending competitor during the UFC’s forthcoming event in Texas. Ige will compete against Melquizael Costa at UFC Houston, an event scheduled for February 21st. The proceedings of UFC Fight Night 267 will unfold at the Toyota Center.
Costa secured four notable victories last year, which improved his specific UFC record to 6-2. This upcoming fight with ’50 K’ is poised to be his most challenging encounter within the promotion thus far. That impressive run of 2025 was punctuated by a pair of stoppage wins over Andre Fili and Morgan Charrière, achieved via a guillotine choke and a head kick, respectively. In the interim of those finishes, Costa earned two unanimous decision triumphs over Julian Erosa and Christian Rodriguez.
For Ige, the objective is to return to a victorious path, following a loss to Patricio Pitbull in July at UFC 318. Prior to that defeat by the former multi-division Bellator MMA champion, Ige had recorded a win against Sean Woodson through strikes in the third round of their UFC 314 contest.
Before that win over Woodson, however, Dan Ige had encountered defeats against both Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy, with his current goal being to re-establish his standing among the ranked contenders in the 145-pound division.
Dan Ige vs. Melquizael Costa: A Look at the UFC Houston Card to Date
The highly anticipated clash between Dan Ige and Melquizael Costa represents a significant matchup within the featherweight division, but it is not the only compelling bout scheduled for UFC Houston.
In the main event position of this UFC Fight Night card, former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland aims to forge a clear path back to championship contention. To achieve this, the controversial fighter must overcome the number four-ranked contender in the 185-pound category, Anthony Hernandez.
Ante Delija versus Serghei Spivac is also slated to occur in the coming weeks, a battle that will feature the ninth and seventh-ranked contenders in the heavyweight division, respectively. The remaining matchups confirmed for UFC Houston, as of the current moment, are listed below:
- Alibi Idiris vs. Ode Osbourne
- Michel Pereira vs. Zach Reese
- Alden Coria vs. Luis Gurule
- Seok Hyeon Ko vs. Jacobe Smith
- Nora Cornolle vs. Joselyne Edwards
- Yadier del Valle vs. Jordan Leavitt
