UFC 329: Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden Preview & Prediction
A flyweight scrap to open up the UFC 329 card as red-hot finisher Alessandro Costa steps in to take on fading veteran Cody Durden.
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden facts
What time are Alessandro Costa and Cody Durden expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 329
What TV channel is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 main card
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (Welterweight)
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett (Lightweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone'er Kavanagh (Flyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (Lightweight)
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 prelims
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (Light Heavyweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (Heavyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (Featherweight)
Tracy Cortez vs Wang Cong (Women's Flyweight)
Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida (Middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs John Garza (Bantamweight)
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese (Middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden (Flyweight)
Alessandro Costa: “Nono” finishing everyone on sight
Alessandro Costa (16-5) has looked reborn in 2026. The Mexico-based Brazilian sits 4-3 in the UFC, and his only losses have come to Amir Albazi on debut, the ex-title contender Steve Erceg, and slick boxing prospect Alden Coria last year. Since the Coria setback he’s managed to blitz through both Stewart Nicoll and Matt Schnell. A BJJ black belt who trains alongside Diego Lopes, Costa is a low-volume power puncher who mixes in nasty calf kicks and stays dangerous on his back with slick scrambles and a reversal threat. His head movement can be poor and he can get tagged early, but he tends to take over once he settles.
Cody Durden: Grinding gatekeeper fading at the wrong time
Cody Durden (18-10-1) is the type of grinding wrestler that could wear anyone down on his day, Durden leans on takedowns, pace, and positional pressure to drag opponents into the trenches. The 35-year-old built a respectable UFC run with decision wins over the likes of Charles Johnson and Jake Hadley, but the wheels have started to wobble lately. He’s dropped four of his last five, getting beat by Joshua Van, Jose Ochoa, Allan Nascimento, and Nyamjargal Tumendemberel before salvaging a short-notice decision over Jafel Filho in April. He’s a black belt himself with a durable reputation, but the chin that once carried him looks to be eroding as the miles pile up.
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden prediction
There’s a shared opponent that tells a story here – both men have beaten Matt Schnell recently. Costa had him cold on the feet in a round, while Durden needed a submission to get it done back in 2024. That’s the whole fight in a nutshell, if this stays standing, it favours the Brazilian, and Durden’s best route runs through the grappling.
The problem for Durden is that he’s been hurt and finished on the feet repeatedly lately, and Costa hits far too hard for those openings. Expect Durden to try and mix takedowns into his striking early, but Costa’s takedown defence should hold up in the opening rounds, and even when he does get taken down, his scrambling and reversal threat make him a nightmare to control – we saw that against Coria.
Costa isn’t flawless. His head movement is suspect and he can turn timid when he’s not feeling himself, so Durden may land clean early and could catch him swinging wild. I expect Costa to hurt Durden on the feet, and if he drops him and the fight goes to the floor, he has the finishing ability on the mat to follow up for the submission.
Prediction: Alessandro Costa to win inside the distance
