Alessandro Costa replaces Imanol Rodriguez against Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 118, an event booked for the Meta APEX on June 6, MMA Fighting has learned.
The new matchup will be contested at a catchweight of 130 pounds.
It’s still unclear what led to Rodriguez’s removal from the card.
Costa and Schnell were scheduled to face each other before in the UFC in September of 2024, but the Brazilian was forced off the bout just days before the card. Cody Durden signed in as a replacement and defeated Schnell via submission.
Schnell (17-10, 1 NC) now faces Costa, looking to rebound from a loss to Joseph Morales in November of 2025, and having won only three of his past 10 octagon appearances.
Costa (15-5) won his most recent fight in the UFC in April, pocketing a Performance of the Night bonus check for a second-round knockout over Stewart Nicoll. Costa is now 3-3 in the UFC with bonuses cashed for every victory.
UFC Vegas 118 is headlined by a welterweight showdown between former champion Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim.
Damon Martin contributed to this report.
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