The Dalmatian: How Melquizael Costa Turned Childhood Bullying Into a UFC Main Event

Melquizael Costa has had vitiligo since he was four, but the parents of other kids thought it was leprosy. They wouldn't let those kids near him. Pulled them away if they got too close.

Not the kids. The grown ups.

"When I was a kid, people would confuse vitiligo with leprosy," Costa told UFC.com. "But it wasn't the kids discriminating. It was the parents who wouldn't let their kids interact with me, or they would pull them away."

They called him a dalmatian. He was just a kid and the grown ups were teaching their kids to be afraid of him, treating him like he was contagious. That stuff messes with your head in ways that you don't just shake when you get older. But Costa has been open about how hard it hit him. He didn't want to be seen. Stopped taking his shirt off. Stopped allowing photos to be taken of him. At his lowest he left the city, went to the countryside, and just found work on farms so he wouldn't have to be around people anymore.

"I didn't want people to see me."

A high school kid taking up combat training to avoid scrutiny. But then the battle came to him.

Porto de Moz

Costa was born on September 14, 1996. Porto de Moz lies in the state of Pará, far up in northern Brazil. Ana Lúcia and Raimundo Lima are his parents. He has two siblings and the names they go by are hands down one of the best parts of this whole tale. Melquizael, Melquesedeque, and Melquizaqui. All three biblical. All three sound like they should be doings deeds in the isolation of the dark ages lol. But in school, everyone simply knew him as Melk.

His father made a living in construction. His mother tended to the boys. There wasn't much money at home. And when Melk began to express an interest in unarmed combat, his father wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea. The boy was scrawny. Had a condition which already rendered him vulnerable. Why would you unleash him in a sport designed to inflict harm on others?

But there was one family member who stood firmly in his corner from jump street. His sibling. The one who lost his life during a worksite mishap in 2013.

Costa doesn't go into detail about it publicly. However, he says that his brother was his greatest support and that his loss gave him the strength to continue. He was 16 when it happened. He was already training. He was already selling ice cream on the street to pay for his training. And suddenly the family member who believed in what he did disappeared.

Popsicles, school, and the gym

This is how Costa's daily life was as a teenager in Porto de Moz.

In the morning: school. After school: take the cart and sell ice cream on the street. Afternoon: training at the gym. Two years of that every day. While in mourning for his brother. While suffering from vitiligo. Being 16 and 17 years old in a city where most people didn't understand why they were even fighting.

He shared some words with MMA Fighting about the popsicle days. Costa said that when all the kids ran to the popsicle vendor during recess, no one had to convince them to go. No one had to invite them. They were there because the product was good enough for them to show up. Costa said he realized then that he had to learn to be like that. Don’t beg for opportunities. Be good enough that opportunities seek you out.

We are talking about a popsicle vendor who developed and internalized the concept of respect through meritocracy while selling popsicles on the streets of northern Brazil at 16 years old. I mean bro that's actually crazy.

One hand

Costa began his combat sports journey after his friends took him to a boxing gym at age 13. He suited up, got in the ring to spar, and was knocked out.

Most kids would probably call it quits right then and there. Instead, his friend invited him to “come to jiu jitsu” next. Costa agreed, not even knowing what the sport was. His friend was injured at the time and told Costa that he could submit him using just one arm.

He was so upset by losing that he returned. And the next day, the next day, the next day. He could only train with MMA fighters because of the schedule. So he was a 13 year old boy who was knocked out by adults every day and refused to leave until the coaches felt he was going nowhere.

And here's the funniest part man. When he started competing, he told everyone he was going to win his first fight by "cauthy." He meant knockout lol but he just mispronounced it. And so everyone corrected him but the name stuck. His original nickname before "The Dalmatian" was Melk "Cauthy" Costa.

Professional Career

Costa became a professional at age 17. He won a split decision against Benjamin Junior Coelho Pantoja in 2014. He arrived in 8 to 0 and seemed to be the biggest promise from the north of Brazil.

Then reality hit. He went 4-4 over his next stretch. Losses to guys whose names you've probably never heard of. The kind of rough patch that ends most careers on the regional circuit because the promoters stop calling and the money dries up and you're back to selling popsicles except now you're 22 with a losing streak.

But Costa survived it. Won seven of his next eight fights including stints in Predator FC where he won the featherweight title and LFA where he went 1-1. The UFC called with a short notice opportunity in January 2023. UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. Against Thiago Moises. He lost.

Then he lost again. Two of his first three UFC fights were losses. He was 1-2 in the promotion and the narrative was already forming. Another Brazilian prospect who looked good on the regional scene and couldn't hang with UFC level competition.

The Turn

2024 was uneventful. One fight, one victory. Costa defeated Shayilan Nuerdanbieke by decision and got a Performance of the Night bonus. But that was just one fight in a year. He was mostly waiting around for contracts and while dealing with what he refers to as "an anxiety crisis," he wasn't even sure if the UFC was going to hang onto him.

They did though and 2025 is when EVERYTHING changed.

Four fights in a year. Four victories. He taps out Andre Fili with a guillotine choke in the first round. Defeats Christian Rodriguez by decision. Defeats Julian Erosa by decision. Then flatlines Morgan Charrière with a head kick at 1:14 of the first round in December. Performance of the Night bonus.

2026 starts even worse. He fights Dan Ige in Houston on February 21 and stops him with a spinning back kick at 4:56 of the first round. Dan Ige had NEVER been stopped by strikes in his entire UFC career. Costa was the first person to do it. And he did it with a spinning back kick bro. Insane.

Six consecutive victories. Two Performance of the Night bonuses. In just a year and a half, he went from having a 1-2 record in the UFC to being the main fight on a card. Somewhere along the line, he reached a decision about that nickname.

The Dalmatian

Costa stopped hiding. He took the word that those people had used to upset him as a child, and made it his identity.

"The Dalmatian."

He showed up to the UFC ceremonial weigh-ins in Seattle with the spots of a Dalmatian painted on his face. Black and white. The very same design that adults in Porto de Moz had used to push their children away from him. He turned it into a mask, a trademark. 'You tried to make me feel bad with this and I'm going to wear it on my face for millions of people.' What a G.

He enters the arena to the song "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King, No worries. The young man who was so embarrassed by his skin that he used to cover his face walks into a cage in front of thousands of people with his skin exposed and a Disney song bumping through the sound system. I don't care if you think that's corny. That's one of the most bad ass things a fighter's ever done and most of you have never even heard of him.

Tomorrow Night

Melquizael Costa (26-7, 7-2 UFC) fights Arnold Allen (21-3, 10-2 UFC) tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 117 at the Meta APEX. It's the first main event of his career. Allen is ranked #7. It's the biggest challenge Costa has ever faced and it's occurring beneath the brightest lights that have ever shined over his head.

Costa just earned his BJJ black belt this month. He already had a Muay Thai black belt under Chute Boxe's João Emilio. Black belt in two disciplines at 29 years old with a six fight win streak and his first headline slot. His dad, the man who didn't want him to fight because he was skinny, calls him before every fight to calm him down and crack jokes.

His plan for 2026: "Top 15. Middle of the year, Top 5. The last fight of the year, the belt."

The kid who sold popsicles, hid from people, and got submitted with one hand at 13 is headlining a UFC card tomorrow night. He's wearing the name they gave him to hurt him. He's walking out to "no worries." And he's coming for the featherweight title.

Hakuna Matata.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you know? Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune skin disorder in which patches of skin lose their pigment. It causes white spots or patches on the skin. It is not contagious or life-threatening. Many people with the condition face social stigma and this was especially true with Costa growing up. Many Brazilian children mistook his condition for leprosy.

Before he was "The Dalmatian," Costa was known as "Cauthy." The name came from his mispronunciation of the word "knockout" at 13-years-old when he said he would win by "cauthy" and the name stuck.

What happened in Costa's early UFC career?

Costa lost two of his first three UFC fights after debuting in January 2023 at UFC 283. After going 1-2 many expected him to be released. Instead, he went on a six-fight win streak, including becoming the first fighter to stop Dan Ige by strikes in his entire UFC career.

When does Costa fight next?

He headlines UFC Vegas 117 against the #7 ranked featherweight in Arnold Allen on May 16, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. It is the first main event of his career.

What are Costa's goals?

Costa's 2026 plans are per UFC.com, “Top 15. Middle of the year, Top 5. The last fight of the year, the belt.”