Melquizael Costa Has Big Plans For 2026

The last year has been a real coming-out party for Melquizael Costa, both personally and professionally.

On the personal side of things, the Brazilian featherweight, who begins his 2026 campaign this weekend in Houston in a crucial matchup with divisional stalwart Dan Ige, has adopted a new nickname, “The Dalmatian,” a nod to the childhood taunts he received as a result of his vitiligo. A chronic skin disorder that leaves sufferers with white patches that can eventually cover their entire bodies, Costa has embraced his condition as a way to show people to be proud of who they are, and with his fluorescent hair often containing patches of different colors and ceremonial weigh-in appearances…