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UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez
Melquizael Costa
Melquizael Costa
25-7 · BRA
VS
Dan Ige
Dan Ige
19-10 · USA
February 21, 2026 · Houston, Texas, USA
Featherweight · 3 rounds
145.5lb
Weigh-in
145.5lb
Melquizael Costa def. Dan Ige by KO/TKO (Spinning Back Kick), R1 4:56
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:56
Costa19/401/110:32
Ige7/111/301:31
Total
Costa19/401/110:32
Ige7/111/301:31

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
CostaWin probabilityIge
64.0%36.0%
KO / TKO
26%
Submission
20%
Decision
54%
Expected fight time: 10.7 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Costa, blue toward Ige. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Costa64%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO15%24%10%
Submission14%22%7%
Decision35%54%49%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes46 (1962)act 19
Takedowns0.9 (0.03.3)act 1
Ige36%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO11%30%15%
Submission6%16%5%
Decision19%54%14%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes36 (1549)act 7
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 1
Combined totals~82 sig strikes~1.2 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R123%
R216%
R37%
Distance54%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.2%
Costa
57.0%-136
Ige
+13641.8%
Most takedownstie 39.7%
Costa
45.0%-295
Ige
+29515.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Costa
Expected: 45.6
45.5
Over 45.5
39.8%
+151
Under 45.5
60.2%
-151
057114
Ige
Expected: 35.9
36
Over 36
39.0%
+153
Exactly 36
1.3%
push
Under 36
59.6%
-153
04590
Takedowns — over/under
Costa
Expected: 0.9
1
Over 1
33.2%
+144
Exactly 1
18.8%
push
Under 1
48.0%
-144
035
Ige
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
24.5%
+308
Under 0.5
75.5%
-308
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 10.7 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Costa64.0%68.0%−4.0-248
Ige36.0%32.0%+4.0+198
By method
Costa by KO/TKO16.7%10.1%+6.6+743
Costa by submission12.7%7.4%+5.3+1048
Costa by decision34.6%48.6%−14.0-134
Ige by KO/TKO9.4%14.8%−5.4+473
Ige by submission7.2%4.8%+2.4+1674
Ige by decision19.4%14.4%+5.0+489
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds76.9%77.6%−0.7-501
Over 2.5 rds60.6%68.9%−8.3-281
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision54.0%65.1%−11.1-228

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
71.1Striking64.0
Costa +7.1
57.8Grappling30.0
Costa +27.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
CostaIge
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1598
Pound-for-pound
1562
1619
Divisional
1573
1510
Striking offense
1512
1513
Striking defense
1520
1519
Grappling offense
1468
1485
Grappling defense
1527
Physical
29 yrs
Age
34 yrs
5'10"
Height
5'7"
71"
Reach
71"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.42
Strikes landed / min
3.62
50%
Strike accuracy
45%
3.06
Strikes absorbed / min
3.66
55%
Strike defense
56%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.93
Takedowns / 15 min
0.70
38%
Takedown accuracy
21%
58%
Takedown defense
58%
1.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.1
Form & résumé
75%
UFC win rate
55%
+5
Win/loss streak
-1
100%
Last-5 win rate
40%
50%
Finish rate
55%
Recent opp. quality
70
Days since last fight
217
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Melquizael Costa
  • WMorgan CharriereKO/TKO R1
    Close -1602mo before
  • WJulian ErosaU-DEC R3
    Close -1649mo before
  • WChristian RodriguezU-DEC R3
    Close +16811mo before
  • WAndre FiliSUB R1
    Close -1351y before
  • WShayilan NuerdanbiekeSUB R3
    Close -2181y 8mo before
Dan Ige
  • LPatricio PitbullU-DEC R3
    Close -2207mo before
  • WSean WoodsonKO/TKO R3
    Close +16110mo before
  • LLerone MurphyU-DEC R3
    Close +2571y 4mo before
  • LDiego LopesU-DEC R3
    Close +2301y 8mo before
  • WAndre FiliKO/TKO R1
    Close -1892y before
Costa — win / loss by method
Record: 25-7-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
8 wins, 2 losses
W
32% of wins
L
29% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 2 losses
W
32% of wins
L
29% of losses
Decision
9 wins, 3 losses
W
36% of wins
L
43% of losses
UFC
6win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (17%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
2 (33%)Submission(50%) 1
3 (50%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
19win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (37%)KO/TKO(20%) 1
6 (32%)Submission(20%) 1
6 (32%)Decision(60%) 3
Ige — win / loss by method
Record: 19-10-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
7 wins, 0 losses
W
37% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 0 losses
W
26% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
7 wins, 10 losses
W
37% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
11win9loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (45%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (9%)Submission(0%) 0
5 (45%)Decision(100%) 9
Non-UFC
8win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (25%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
4 (50%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (25%)Decision(100%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Costa
Ige
8
UFC fights
20
77.7 min · 9.7 avg
Octagon time
255.6 min · 12.8 avg
12y 5m
Career length
12y 1m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Costa
Ige
167W–60L · 73.6%
Overall
358W–78L · 82.1%
137W–49L · 73.7%
Wins
188W–49L · 79.3%
30W–11L · 73.2%
Losses
170W–29L · 85.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Costa
Ige
164W–84L · 66.1%
Overall
51W–27L · 65.4%
116W–74L · 61.1%
Wins
44W–23L · 65.7%
48W–10L · 82.8%
Losses
7W–4L · 63.6%
Distance striking
Costa
Ige
7.72
Landed / min
4.41
46.4%
Accuracy
41.1%
62.9%
Defense
59.8%
0.19
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.41
45.4%
Time at distance
64.2%
Grappling & control
Costa
Ige
1.93
Takedowns / 15 min
0.70
38.5%
Takedown accuracy
21.4%
58.1%
Takedown defense
57.5%
1.16
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.06
40.1%
Control share
36.0%
Strike target map
Costa
  • Head47%(160)div 64%
  • Body32%(111)div 20%
  • Legs21%(72)div 16%
Ige
  • Head65%(605)div 64%
  • Body22%(208)div 20%
  • Legs12%(113)div 16%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Melquizael Costa
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Dan Ige
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.