Prizefighting was not always in Matheus Nicolau’s plans. In fact, his thoughts, like many Brazilians, once drifted to stardom on the pitch.
As time shed light on the reality of his situation, Nicolau embraced combat sports more fully. “I came back to it by age 13,” he said, “and I haven’t stopped since.” Nicolau did not have to look far for inspiration. “Early on, I was motivated by VHS tapes of Pride Fighting Championships events,” he said. “The Gracies were my greatest idols, my superheroes. I practiced jiu-jitsu with the intent of eventually getting into MMA, what we used to call vale tudo.”
Nicolau made his professional mixed martial arts debut as a 17-year-old in 2010, when he submitted Pedro Alves Chalita with a rear-naked choke at a regional event in Brazil. He posted a 10-1-1 record through his first 12 appearances, emerging as a prospect to watch. Then came the break he needed. Nicolau was cast on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” in 2015 and reached the semifinals before being ousted by Dileno Lopes.
“That experience was my foot in the door into the UFC, and I’m still here,” he said. “My goal is to be the best possible martial artist and aim for the world title.”
His road to contention was not always smooth. Nicolau started his first Ultimate Fighting Championship run with consecutive victories over Bruno Mesquita, John Moraga and Louis Smolka, then suffered a disappointing knockout loss to Dustin Ortiz at UFC on Fox 30 in July 2018. Worse still, the promotion seemed intent on phasing out its flyweight division, and Nicolau was a surprising casualty of the subsequent roster cut.
“Everyone who lost a fight was getting their contracts closed out,” he said. “It happened to our entire weight class. Things happen for a reason. That frustrating time was something else that helped me gain experience. I stayed focused on my goal, whether I was in the UFC or not.”
UFC brass eventually had a change of heart regarding the 125-pound weight class and brought Nicolau back into the fold after he delivered wins against Alan Gabriel dos Santos and Felipe Efrain on the hypercompetitive Brazilian regional scene. He has gone 3-0 since his return, turning away Manel Kape, Tim Elliott and David Dvorak in succession. Nicolau, now 29, will carry a five-fight winning streak into his UFC on ESPN 42 flyweight showcase opposite Matt Schnell this Saturday at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Schnell, who trains out of Fortis MMA, owns a 6-4 record in the UFC.
“He’s faced some of the top talent in the world,” Nicolau said. “He has a strong fighting spirit. He doesn’t quit. Everyone who’s a Top 10 flyweight in the UFC is highly talented. He has good striking, but I think his strong suit is grappling. He’s dangerous at all times. Facing him is yet another step towards my goal of being a world champion.”
Nicolau and his team made an effort to cover all the bases in advance of the bout. He worked under longtime boxing coach Alex Cardoso, spent time with Demian Maia and did the majority of his training at Nova Uniao. Nicolau does not anticipate any surprises with Schnell.
“We’ve studied him,” he said, “and that information goes into my strategy. However, my camp begins by focusing on myself and improving my abilities. I have some skills I’ve been working on that I haven’t been able to put into practice yet. It’s toward the end of the fight camp that training is more specific to the opponent. It’s then that we explore things that are likely to happen during the fight.”
Nicolau last appeared on March 26, when he took a unanimous decision from Dvorak at UFC on ESPN 33 and improved to 6-1 inside the Octagon. He has momentum on his side, fleeting and fickle as it may be in a sport with so thin a margin for error.
“It’s great to be on a winning streak and keeping up a good fight rhythm, but those fights are behind me now,” Nicolau said. “I can’t rest on my laurels. I have to find ways to continue getting better. I remain focused. Every day, I wake up and look for ways to evolve and win yet again.”