When Costa agreed to fight Journey Newson on September 19, “The Zohan” teamed up with a pair of ATT bantamweights to prepare: Tony Gravely, who earned a UFC contract on season three of Dana White’s Contender Series, and Marlon Moraes, the No. 1-ranked bantamweight contender in the world.
“I’m getting great work in with these guys,” Costa said. “I’m under great supervision. Everything has been great. I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot. I’m just ready to perform. It’s been a long time coming.”
Despite the new training digs, Costa will have Joe Lauzon and his regular crew in his corner on fight night. As for the future, that’s more up in the air, or as Costa described it, “f***ing no-man’s land.” Rather, he is more focused on the moment and adding a second UFC win to his ledger and enjoying the experience while he’s at it.
MMA isn’t short of fun characters and mutual respect, but save for Stephen Thompson and Amanda Ribas, there might not be a more joyful person on the roster than Costa. Even in the increasingly messy state of the world in 2020, Costa seems to always find a positive spin on things, whether he can see the silver lining clearly or not. It’s this mindset, beyond his funky movement or penchant for first-round finishes, that Costa believes is his difference-maker as a fighter.
“If we’re talking about one thing that kind of separates me from other people, it’s my outlook,” Costa said. “I think my outlook on the whole game, the whole sport, on life is kind of different than a lot of other people. If you’ve seen me during fight week or if you’ve even seen me on fight night walking out to the cage, anything, I’m always f***ing happy. I’m always chilling. I’m always nice and loose. I work so hard to get to this point, and I feel like some guys, they get to through these camps and grind through these camps that by the time they get to a fight night, they’re pissed off. They just want to f***ing rage, and they’re mad. For me, the whole journey is getting to that point right there.”
Watch one Randy Costa fight, and it’s easy to see he has a distinctive way of going about a fight. With his wiry 5-foot-9 frame and 73-inch frame, Costa is a peculiar puzzle of movement and timing for opponents to solve. Add in some real power and surprising accuracy, and it’s easy to see why the UFC gave him a shot when his record was just 4-0.
