Randy Costa vs. Journey Newson on tap for UFC event on Sept. 26

Bantamweight finishers Randy Costa and Journey Newson will meet in the octagon this fall.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the matchup will take place at the UFC’s event on Sept. 26 following an initial report from MMA Junkie. The card location hasn’t been officially announced, but is expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Costa is looking to build upon the momentum of his first promotional victory this past October. In front of a hometown crowd at UFC Boston, “The Zohan” finished Boston Salmon via TKO in the first round. Following four first-round finishes on the New England regional scene, Costa got the call to face Brandon Davis in his octagon debut and was submitted in the second round of a wild 135-pound matchup at UFC 236.

Newson is still looking for his first official UFC win in his third attempt. The 31-year-old dropped a decision to Ricardo Ramos in his octagon debut in June 2019, and he came back at February’s UFC 247 event to deliver a ferocious 38-second knockout of Domingo Pilarte. The win remained on his record for just over one month before it was overturned to a no-decision by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation following a positive drug test for marijuana.

The UFC’s Sept. 26 event also features a strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Xiaonan Yan, along with a women’s bantamweight fight between Jessica-Rose Clark and Contender Series standout Sarah Alpar.