Last Updated on February 22, 2026 by Pragjyoti Singh
Melquizael Costa might not be the most familiar face for many fans, but the UFC featherweight, who stands out because of his skin condition (vitiligo), has been quietly racking up wins with the last four of them coming inside a span of only 10 months.
Costa’s last win came against Morgan Charriere at UFC on ESPN 74 when he landed the first KO of his UFC career with a head kick knockout just 74 seconds in the first round of their fight. He also has notable wins against Andre Fili, Christian Rodriguez, and Julian Erosa, with all three taking place in 2025. In July 2024, the Brazilian beat Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via submission, which also happened to be the start of his 5-fight win streak.
While Costa continues to write his UFC journey, with a showdown against Dan Ige set for February 22 in Houston, the toughest fight of the 29-year-old hasn’t come inside the Octagon, but in his battle with a challenging skin condition.
Does Melquizael Costa Have Vitiligo? What Happened to His Skin?
Costa suffers from Vitiligo, a condition that causes the skin to lose its color or pigment. While it’s a much more understood disease now, a lack of awareness of the condition was a bit problematic for the Brazilian as a kid.
In an interview with MMA Junkie back in 2022, he revealed, “I didn’t want to go to the city. I didn’t want people to see me.” Stung by comments from people, he claims he left the city for the countryside to avoid interactions. “I went to the countryside and started working on a farm.”
Depression eventually came knocking on the door, and with it the embarrassment and stigma of suffering from vitiligo. “Depression started to take roots in myself, as well. I started feeling for myself what they were feeling, disgust.”
For Costa, MMA came as a tool that helped him fight off the bullying that comes with skin conditions like vitiligo. “Martial arts was actually what saved me from this,” he said.
Even his parents, due to a lack of knowledge and awareness, were very skeptical of his future, he claimed. The struggle had gone to a point where people even avoided touching him: “People got confused that I had leprosy. They didn’t want to be in touch with me. I suffered every single kind of discrimination because of that.”
How Melquizael Costa Found Inspiration While Living With Vitiligo and a Skin Condition
While MMA played its part in building the Brazilian’s confidence, it was a chance encounter that led to him finally accepting his condition. The Brazilian, who now proudly goes by the nickname ‘The Dalmatian,’ happened to come across former UFC fighter Scott Jorgensen, who also suffered from vitiligo, while playing a UFC video game.
“I was playing it, and then I saw this guy, and he looked exactly like me,” recalled Costa. “I Googled him and I saw he was a UFC fighter,” he continued.
This moment turned out to be a life-changing one for the UFC Featherweight, who now trains at Chute Boxe – Joao Emilio in São Paulo. Seeing Scott Jorgensen fight it out on the big stage of UFC finally gave him the much-needed self-belief that he could replicate the same despite the stigma attached to his skin condition.
Costa now credits Jorgensen for giving him the conviction to fight his battle against the stigma attached to vitiligo and build a successful MMA career, “I tell everyone he was the one who pretty much opened this idea in my mind, who showed me it would be possible to get there someday.”
Now, the 29-year-old uses the massive platform he has to raise awareness about Vitiligo. In February 2025, he took to the UFC Seattle ceremonial weigh-ins with his face painted to look like a Dalmatian.
‘Melk Cauthy’ now proudly embraces his skin and the results are there for the world to see.
“I think the first thing for anyone who has a condition or faces kind of prejudice, don’t feel the prejudice. I don’t let it affect me anymore. The first step is to be able to love yourself. You can only give people what you have,” he proudly states.
Costa will fight Dan Ige on the main card of UFC Houston, headlined by Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez. This is the promotion’s 4th card this year after signing a deal with Paramount, which was kicked off by UFC 324 when Justin Gaethje faced off against Paddy Pimblett.
Q: What skin condition does Melquizael Costa have?
A: Melquizael Costa has vitiligo, a skin condition that causes loss of pigmentation in patches.
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