“There are names out there, but obviously anybody that can elevate me,” he began, offering a blanket statement before narrowing his focus.“I want to fight Diego Lopes. What about two guys from the north of Brazil? We’re talking about a guy that has done some great things out there, and it’s two guys from the north going at it.
“I tell you what: he’s gotten beaten up by my sparring partner, so it’s my turn now.
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“And then we look at Jean Silva,” continued Costa, who hails from Porto de Moz in the state of Para and trains alongside fellow UFC featherweight Joanderson Brito, who bested Lopes on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn his place on the UFC roster. “If you think about it, my success through this journey depends on Jean Silva because I hope he beats Volkanovski; I hope he gets to fight him and he beats him.
“If he beats Volk, I will go there, beat his dad (Lopes), and beat him up afterwards.”
Though he suggested that Silva is the key to fully realizing his 2026 plans, the reality is that he needs to get through Ige on Saturday in order to finally force his way into the Top 15 and set his plan in motion.