UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa (also known as UFC Vegas 117) takes place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, featuring an elite featherweight clash between No. 7 Arnold Allen and the surging No. 12 Melquizael Costa.
Main Event Preview: Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa
- The Stakes: Both fighters successfully made the division limit at 145.5 pounds. The winner lines themselves up for a top-five opponent later this year.
- Arnold Allen (20-4): The British staple enters as a -160 betting favorite. He is looking to rebound after a tough 1-3 stretch in his last four fights, most recently dropping a decision to Jean Silva at UFC 324.
- Melquizael Costa (26-7): Entering his first career UFC main event, “The Dalmatian” sits on a dominant six-fight winning streak. He recently scored a spectacular first-round spinning back kick knockout against Dan Ige in February.
Main Card Lineup
- Featherweight Co-Main Event: Dooho Choi vs. Daniel Santos
- Bantamweight Bout: Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Diaz
- Catchweight Bout (215 lbs): Modestas Bukauskas vs. Christian Edwards (Edwards replaces Rodolfo Bellato)
- Bantamweight Bout: Timmy Cuamba vs. Bernardo Sopaj
- Welterweight Bout: Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams
Notable Last-Minute Card Changes
- Lightweight: Trey Ogden withdrew due to injury and was replaced by undefeated newcomer Artur Minev against Tommy Gantt.
- Welterweight: The matchup between Nicolas Dalby and Jeremiah Wells was completely canceled following Dalby’s injury withdrawal.
