Preview: UFC Vegas 106 ‘Burns vs. Morales’

Featherweights

Melquizael Costa (23-7, 4-2 UFC) vs. Julian Erosa (31-11, 9-7 UFC)

ODDS: Costa (-192), Erosa (+160)

Two featherweights each make a quick turnaround in this appetizer. The third time has certainly been the charm for Erosa, as “Juicy J” washed out of the UFC twice before finally putting together a strong campaign over the last five years. Erosa seemed destined to bounce between the regional scene and major promotions forever thanks to what was once a fatal flaw, as he had an aggressive game with just enough defensive vision to get by against worse competition, which in turn resulted in his getting starched against opponents with more experience and knockout power. That issue still arises from time to time, as Erosa’s three losses since his latest UFC comeback have all come via first-round knockout, but once he turns that corner, he’s now quite adept at winning a dogfight. Two of those quick knockouts came back-to-back in late 2022 and early 2023, so there was the worry that Erosa’s late-career renaissance had come to an end. In the time since, Erosa rebounded with two quick guillotine choke victories and an absolute thrashing of Darren Elkins. Five weeks removed from the Elkins win, Erosa already has his next assignment against Costa, a man on his own run of three fights in just a shade under three months.

Brazil’s Costa typically brings the excitement for better or for worse, often cycling through ideas without much of a greater strategy, as it’s not particularly consistent that he will stick to something even if it’s working. That makes for a lot of volatile results, but it’s hard to argue with things at the moment given the Brazilian’s current momentum. His lone fight of 2024 was a come-from-behind victory over Nuerdanbieke Shayilan, and 2025 has seen him get a quick submission win over Andre Fili in February and a hard-fought decision over Christian Rodriguez in March. Erosa does seem to be slowing down a bit even during this run of early finishes, which is enough to favor Costa’s relentless approach. Despite the current trendline, Erosa still hasn’t lost a fight over the long haul in this latest UFC comeback. However, youth and athleticism still get the lean here. The pick is Costa via decision.

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Burns vs. Morales
Bellato vs. Craig
Santos vs. Yusuff
Ruziboev vs. Stoltzfus
Costa vs. Erosa
The Prelims