Matheus Nicolau

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Nicolauand the second or paternal family name is Pereira.

Matheus Nicolau
Born	Matheus Nicolau Pereira [1] (1993-01-06) January 6, 1993 (age 31) Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight	125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
Division	Flyweight (2010 – 2019, 2021 – present) Bantamweight (2015, 2019 – 2021)
Reach	66 [2]  in (168 cm)
Fighting out of	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Team	Jackson's MMA Yee MMA
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu [2]
Years active	2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	23
Wins	19
By knockout	5
By submission	5
By decision	9
Losses	3
By knockout	3
Draws	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Matheus Nicolau Pereira (born January 6, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has also competed in the Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) and the Future FC. As of December 5, 2023, he is #5 in the UFC flyweight rankings. ^[3]

Mixed martial arts career

Nicolau made his professional mixed martial arts debut in August 2010 at the age of 17. He compiled a record of 10-1-1, competing primarily for various regional promotions in Brazil before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in early 2015.

The Ultimate Fighter

In March 2015, it was announced that Nicolau was one of the fighters selected to be on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 . ^[4]

In his first fight on the show, Nicolau faced Mateus Vasco. He won the fight via submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round. ^[5]

In the quarterfinals, Nicolau faced off against Reginaldo Vieira. He won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds. ^[6]

In the semifinals, Nicolau faced Dileno Lopes. He lost via unanimous decision. ^[7]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nicolau made his official debut for the promotion on November 7, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 77 where he faced fellow castmate Bruno Rodrigues. ^[8] He won the fight submission in the third round. ^[9]

Nicolau next faced John Moraga on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. ^[10] He won the fight via split decision. ^[11]

Nicolau was expected to face Ulka Sasaki on November 19, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 100. ^[12] However Nicolau was pulled from the bout on November 3 after the USADA revealed a potential anti-doping violation from a sample that was taken October 13. ^[13]

Nicolau faced Louis Smolka on December 30, 2017 at UFC 219. ^[14] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[15]

Nicolau faced Dustin Ortiz on July 28, 2018 at UFC on Fox 30. ^[16] He lost the fight via knockout due to a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round. ^[17]

In February 2019, news surfaced that Nicolau had been released from the UFC. ^[18]

Future FC

After being released from the UFC, Nicolau signed with Brazilian mixed martial arts promotion Future FC where he fought in the bantamweight division. ^[19] In his promotional debut he faced Alan Gabriel at Future FC 5 on May 24, 2019. He won the fight via anaconda choke. ^[20]

In August 2019, it was also announced that Nicolau had signed with Brave CF, making his promotional debut against Felipe Efrain at Brave CF 25 on August 31, 2019. ^[21] Nicolau won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[22]

In February 2020, news surfaced that Nicolau would be participating in Brave CF Flyweight tournament. In the initial round, Nicolau was expected to face Jose Torres at Brave CF 35 on March 28, 2020. ^[23] However, the event was postponed until a to-be-determined date due to the COVID-19 pandemic ^[24]

Return to UFC

Nicolau was scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257. ^[25] However, Ulanbekov withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. ^[26] The pairing was eventually rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 187. ^[27] However, Ulanbekov withdrew from the bout the second time for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by Manel Kape. ^[28] He won the fight via controversial split decision. ^[29] 21 out of 21 media members scored the fight for his opponent Kape. ^[30]

Nicolau faced Tim Elliott on October 9, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194. ^[31] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[32]

Nicolau faced David Dvořák on March 26, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 33. ^[33] He won the fight by unanimous decision. ^[34]

Nicolau faced Matt Schnell on December 3, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 42. ^[35] He won the bout via knockout in the second round. ^[36]

Nicolau faced Brandon Royval on April 15, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 44. ^[37] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. ^[38]

Nicolau was scheduled for a rematch against Manel Kape on January 13, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 234. ^[39] At the weigh-ins, Kape weighed in at 129.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit, ^[40] and the bout was cancelled. ^[41] The pair was rescheduled for April 27, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 55. ^[42] However, Kape withdrew for unknown reasons and he was replaced by Alex Perez. ^[43]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

23 matches	19 wins	3 losses
By knockout	5	3
By submission	5	0
By decision	9	0
Draws	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	19–3–1	Brandon Royval	KO (knee and elbows)	UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen	April 15, 2023	1	2:09	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win	19–2–1	Matt Schnell	KO (punches)	UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland	December 3, 2022	2	1:44	Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	18–2–1	David Dvořák	Decision (unanimous)	UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus	March 26, 2022	3	5:00	Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win	17–2–1	Tim Elliott	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez	October 8, 2021	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	16–2–1	Manel Kape	Decision (split)	UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad	March 13, 2021	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Return to Flyweight.
Win	15–2–1	Felipe Efrain	Decision (unanimous)	Brave CF 25	August 30, 2019	3	5:00	Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Win	14–2–1	Alan Gabriel	Submission (japanese necktie)	Future FC 5	May 24, 2019	1	1:18	São Paulo, Brazil	Return to Bantamweight.
Loss	13–2–1	Dustin Ortiz	KO (head kick and punches)	UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2	July 28, 2018	1	3:49	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Win	13–1–1	Louis Smolka	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 219	December 30, 2017	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	12–1–1	John Moraga	Decision (split)	The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale	July 8, 2016	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	11–1–1	Bruno Mesquita	Submission (japanese necktie)	UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3	November 7, 2015	3	3:27	São Paulo, Brazil	Bantamweight bout.
Win	10–1–1	Derinaldo Guerra da Silva	KO (punch)	Shooto Brazil 49	August 24, 2014	2	4:35	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	9–1–1	Pedro Arruda	KO (punch)	Brazil Fight 8	June 6, 2014	1	2:49	Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Win	8–1–1	Vanderlei Carvalho Leite	Decision (unanimous)	Shooto Brazil 45	December 20, 2013	3	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss	7–1–1	Pedro Nobre	TKO (punches)	Bitetti Combat 13	December 9, 2012	1	3:11	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Bitetti Combat Flyweight Tournament Final.
Win	7–0–1	Denison Silva	Decision (unanimous)	Bitetti Combat 13	December 9, 2012	2	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Bitetti Combat Flyweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win	6–0–1	Larry Passos Vargas	KO (punches)	Brazil Fight 6	September 21, 2012	3	4:09	Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Win	5–0–1	Gilberto Dias	Decision (unanimous)	Shooto Brazil 31	June 29, 2012	3	5:00	Brasília, Brazil
Win	4–0–1	Michael Daboville	Submission (triangle choke)	Lions FC 2	March 12, 2012	1	N/A	Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Win	3–0–1	Damien Pighiera	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Lions FC 1	October 15, 2011	2	4:26	Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Draw	2–0–1	Larry Passos Vargas	Draw (unanimous)	Brazil Fight 5	September 3, 2011	3	5:00	Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Win	2–0	Fernando Silva	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Brazil Fight 4	April 9, 2011	2	N/A	Nova Lima, Brazil
Win	1–0	Pedro Alves Chalita	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Pedro Leopoldo Extreme Fight	August 7, 2010	1	1:35	Pedro Leopoldo, Brazil

^[44]

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Professional record breakdown

3 matches	2 wins	1 loss
By submission	1	0
By decision	1	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	2–1	Dileno Lopes	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4	June 14, 2015 (airdate)	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 Semifinals round
Win	2–0	Reginaldo Vieira	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4	April 21, 2015 (airdate)	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 Quarterfinals round
Win	1–0	Mateus Vasco	Submission (rear-naked choke)	The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4	April 14, 2015 (airdate)	1	3:46	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 Entry round

^[45]

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Matheus Nicolau MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
2. "Matheus Nicolau - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
3. "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
4. Guilherme Cruz (March 18, 2015). "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 cast announced". mmafighting.com. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
5. Daniel Galvan (2015-04-14). "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Episode 1 & 2 Recap". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
6. Thomas Gerbasi (2015-04-22). "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Episode 3 Recap". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
7. Damon Martin (2015-06-15). "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4: Episode 11 Recap". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
8. Guilherme Cruz (2015-10-07). "'UFC Fight Night 77: Belfort vs. Henderson 3' fight card set for Sao Paulo". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
9. Steven Marrocco (2015-11-07). "UFC Fight Night 77 results: Matheus Nicolau chokes out good friend Bruno Korea". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
10. Shaun Al-Shatti (2016-05-20). "UFC flyweight John Moraga returns against Matheus Nicolau at TUF 23 Finale". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
11. Ben Fowlkes (2015-07-08). "TUF 23 Finale results: New flyweight Matheus Nicolau takes split from ex-title challenger John Moraga". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
12. Staff (2016-09-25). "Six additional bouts announced for UFC Fight Night 100 on Nov. 19 in Sao Paulo". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
13. Staff (2016-11-03). "Flyweight Matheus Nicolau pulled from UFC Fight Night 100 for potential anti-doping violation". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
14. Dana Becker (2017-09-27). "First three fights announced for UFC 219". fightline.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
15. "UFC 219 results: Matheus Nicolau swarms and dominates Louis Smolka". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
16. Staff (2018-04-27). "UFC on FOX 30 official for Calgary, eight fights added to lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
17. "UFC on FOX 30 results: Dustin Ortiz upsets Matheus Nicolau with big head-kick knockout". MMAjunkie. 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
18. Mike Bohn (February 2, 2019). "UFC champ Henry Cejudo discouraged by 'scary' state of flyweight division". mmajunkie.com.
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20. Farah Hannoun (August 2, 2019). "UFC vet Matheus Nicolau to fight Felipe Efrain at Brave CF 25 in Brazil". mmajunkie.com.
21. Hannoun, Farah (2 August 2019). "UFC vet Matheus Nicolau to fight Felipe Efrain at Brave CF 25 in Brazil". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
22. PowerUp Sports (25 September 2019). "Victorious At Brave 25, Matheus Nicolau Can Cause Problems For Champ Loman". powerupsports.net. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
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24. Guilherme Cruz (March 19, 2020). "BRAVE CF won't pay fighters for events postponed during coronavirus pandemic". mmafighting.com.
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27. Raphael Marinho (2021-01-12). "Ultimate sends Matheus Nicolau vs. Tagir Ulanbekov to March 13". globoesporte.globo.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.(in Portuguese)
28. DNA, MMA (2021-03-04). "Manel Kape pakt short notice partij tegen Matheus Nicolau op 13 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
29. Anderson, Jay (2021-03-13). "UFC Vegas 21 Results: Matheus Nicolau Wins Razor-Thin Decision Against Manel Kape". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
30. "Matheus Nicolau def. Manel Kape :: UFC on ESPN+ 45 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
31. Sherdog.com. "Tim Elliott Meets Matheus Nicolau on Oct. 9 UFC Fight Night". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
32. Evanoff, Josh (2021-10-09). "UFC Vegas 39 Results: Matheus Nicolau Edges Out Tim Elliott In Close Bout". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
33. Lee, Alexander K. (2022-01-12). "Joanne Wood vs. Alexa Grasso, Matheus Nicolau vs. David Dvorak added to UFC Columbus". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
34. Behunin, Alex (2022-03-26). "UFC Columbus: Matheus Nicolau Snaps David Dvorak's 16-Fight Win Streak". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
35. Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (2022-08-04). "UFC adds Matt Schnell vs. Matheus Nicolau to Dec. 3 lineup". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
36. Anderson, Jay (4 December 2022). "UFC Orlando: Matheus Nicolau Scores Multiple Knockdowns, Finishes Matt Schnell". Cageside Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
37. Calhoun, Curtis (2023-02-09). "Brandon Royval vs. Matheus Nicolau Booked For UFC Kansas City, Twitter Reacts". MMA News. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
38. Anderson, Jay (2023-04-15). "UFC Kansas City: Brandon Royval Floors Matheus Nicolau, Calls for Title Shot". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
39. Desk, ITN News (2023-11-08). "Matheus Nicolau vs Manel Kape Rematch Reported for UFC Vegas 83". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
40. Alexander K. Lee (2024-01-12). "UFC Vegas 84 weigh-in results: Manel Kape misses by 3.5 pounds for co-main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
41. Marrocco, Steven (2024-01-12). "UFC Vegas 84: Manel Kape vs. Matheus Nicolau cancelled after Kape weight miss". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
42. Riggs, Drake (2024-03-07). "Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape 2 rebooked to headline UFC Vegas 91". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
43. Shaun Al-Shatti (2024-04-02). "Manel Kape out, Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez announced as new UFC Vegas 91 headliner". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
44. Sherdog.com. "Matheus Nicolau Pereira MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
45. Sherdog.com. "Matheus Nicolau MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-10.

External links

• Matheus Nicolau at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Matheus Nicolau from Sherdog