He returned home and the tight-knit fight community in New England mourned the loss of their friend. Now Costa had a dilemma.
“I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place,” he said. “My friend’s gone, his goal was to get to the UFC, my goal was not to make it to the UFC, but I did tell him that I would get one professional fight at least. So that’s what I did.”
Fighting for his friend, Costa made his pro debut on June 30, 2018, stopping Stacey Anderson in 46 seconds. Then he realized what he had been missing.
“I got one professional fight and then I got the itch again,” Costa said. “If this was his goal, I’m starting to like it again. Let’s see what we can do with this. I had a fight in June, August, and November and January, and after the January fight, I found myself in the UFC. It was nine months from my first pro fight to my UFC debut, and all that time I brought Devin with me because if he hadn’t passed away, then we certainly wouldn’t be having this conversation. I may have taken a fight eventually, but I wouldn’t have been all-in the way I am right now.”
MORE UFC 269: Amanda Nunes | Run It Back With Dustin Poirier, Part 2 | Bonus Résumé: Charles Oliveira | Julianna Peña Ready | Sean O’Malley Returns | UFC 269: Fully Loaded
When Costa says he brings Devin with him, he isn’t talking about having the memory of his friend in his heart, though that’s true, too. What Costa does is literally bring Carrier’s picture with him into every fight, and after Devin’s parents gave him a necklace with some of their son’s ashes in it, the young man taken too soon is going into the Octagon with his friend every time Costa makes the walk.
“He really is always with me,” said Costa, whose reasoning for all of this is clear. “It’s important for me to take him with me during it because it was his dream and he’s the reason why I pursued it. I can bring recognition to his name using my platform. It’s fighting for something bigger than myself. It’s cool to take him with me because I know that if the roles were reversed, he would want me there with him. It’s not all about me, it’s bigger than me. I have the luxury of being able to chase this dream. His dream got robbed from him, so it’s cool that I can make him a part of mine.”