Top-15 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweights are headed to “Sin City.”
No. 8-ranked Arnold Allen will put his spot in the rankings on the line against surging Brazilian Melquizael Costa in the main event of UFC Vegas 117 on Sat., May 16, 2026, inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ag.Fight was first to report the news.
After starting his UFC career on absolute fire — winning his first 10 fights inside the Octagon — Allen (20-4) now finds himself in a difficult stretch. The 32-year-old
British fighter has lost three of his last four bouts, though those defeats came against elite competition in Max Holloway, Movsar Evloev, and, most recently, Jean Silva at UFC 324 earlier this year.
Now Allen will attempt to halt his skid against one of the hottest fighters in the division in what will be his third UFC main event appearance.
Costa (26-7) has been on an impressive run of his own after dropping two of his first three UFC appearances via stoppage. “The Dalmatian” has since rattled off six straight wins, four of them by finish (like this one).
In his most recent outing at UFC Houston, the 29-year-old Brazilian became the first fighter to stop Dan Ige in his entire career, knocking him out with a brutal spinning back kick in the opening round (watch highlights)
UFC Vegas 117 will mark Costa’s first UFC main event.
The only other fight currently reported for the May 16 card is a women’s Bantamweight matchup between Ketlen Vieira and Jacqueline Cavalcanti.
More bouts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
