UFC Fight Night: How Melquizael Costa turned his childhood shame into his MMA identity

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Melquizael Costa steps into the spotlight of his first UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday. It's an emphatic arrival for someone who spent most of his childhood trying not to be seen.

Growing up with vitiligo in Brazil, Costa was used to stares. Parents, thinking his skin condition was contagious, pulled their children away from him. He retreated into the countryside, avoiding crowded cities in an unwelcoming world. Costa associated attention with judgment for years.

"I wouldn't take my shirt off in public for anything," Costa told CBS Sports through a Portuguese interpreter.

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Costa still remembers what shattered that fear. After training, one of his teammates asked him to pose for a photo without his shirt. Costa reluctantly agreed.

"There was a really tall guy in the gym, and he said, 'Take your shirt off for a group photo,'" Costa said. "I learned that's something that happens all the time. And once I took my shirt off, no one cared. It was all in my head. I embraced it."

Before martial arts, Costa struggled to imagine a future unhindered by his appearance. His father, trying to protect him, discouraged his ambitions. Costa was told no one would hire him as a doctor or police officer. His martial arts ambitions got similar reactions: he was too skinny, too frail, too different. Those doubts eventually gave way to support.

"My family does support me," Costa said. "I think my father has a lot of pride, so back then, he didn't want to show how proud he was of me.

"After I knocked out my second opponent, he called and said, 'OK, I liked the knockout. But we have to do this and that,'" Costa said. "That's when everyone stood behind me."