Austin Lingo expects to outwork and tire out Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77: “He gassed in his debut”

Austin Lingo believes his pace is the key to beating Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77..

Lingo is coming off a submission loss to Nate Landwehr in a fight he took on less than two weeks’ notice after his fight against Ricardo Ramos was off. Although he lost the fight, he says he already knew what he did wrong and went back to the gym to correct it.

“Definitely this is exactly what I wanted… I take away how I got prepared and to be ready for anything,” Austin Lingo said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “It found my weaknesses and saw what happened, I know what happened, and in this fight, I have been doing nothing but that. I have been doing three times the work.”

After the loss, Austin Lingo wanted a quick turnaround and got his wish as he will face Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77. The Brazilian lost his debut on short notice to Thiago Moises but Lingo says he has done his homework to be ready for the fight.

“I have watched a lot of tape on him. I know his background, I know a lot of stuff he does,” Lingo said. “He is a stand-up guy, I know him pretty well… I think he tries to shoot and do something real quick, especially off of a good strike.”

With Austin Lingo being prepared to face Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77, he is confident he will be able to outwork the Brazilian and gas Costa out. If he does that, Lingo believes he can get the stoppage, but either way, he is expecting the fight to be a banger.

“First round I think we be smart and feel each other out. He gassed in his debut, and I kind of fell apart in my last fight. We both play it smart and know that it is a three-round fight more than likely,” Lingo said. “We both try to win the first round and then we look at each other in the corner and see who’s gassed. But, I think we come out banging.”

Should Austin Lingo stop Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77 he isn’t sure what is next. However, he says he may have a callout ready to get at least one more fight this year.

“I think it puts me up there. Maybe like number 30 or something. After this, callout someone near that top-15, and after that fight get a top-15,” Lingo concluded.