Matheus Nicolau Pereira (born January 6, 1993) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who is currently competing in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

division for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). He has also competed in the

Brave Combat Federation BRAVE Combat Federation is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in the Middle East. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from ...

(Brave CF) and the Future FC. As of December 6, 2022, he is #5 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

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 ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen ...

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''. In his first fight on the show, Nicolau faced Mateus Vasco. He won the fight via submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round. In the quarterfinals, Nicolau faced off against Reginaldo Vieira. He won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds. In the semifinals, Nicolau faced Dileno Lopes. He lost via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nicolau made his official debut for the promotion on November 7, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 77 ''UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 77'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 7, 2015, at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. Background The event was the fourth held in São P ...

where he faced fellow castmate Bruno Rodrigues. He won the fight submission in the third round. Nicolau next faced

John Moraga John Anthony Moraga (born March 20, 1984) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes as a flyweight and featherweight in MMA and boxing, respectively. He is best known for his lengthy career Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. He won the fight via split decision. Nicolau was expected to face

Ulka Sasaki Ulka may refer to: * Ulka Gupta (born 1997), Indian film and television actress * Ulka Sasaki (born 1989), Japanese mixed martial artist * DRDO Ulka, Indian air-launched expendable target drone * BNS Ulka, establishment of the Bangladeshi Navy ...

on November 19, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 100 ''UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 100'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 19, 2016, at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil Background ...

. However Nicolau was pulled from the bout on November 3 after the

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

revealed a potential anti-doping violation from a sample that was taken October 13. Nicolau faced

Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, California Xtreme Fighting, Kin ...

on December 30, 2017 at

UFC 219 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Nicolau faced

Dustin Ortiz Dustin Ortiz (born December 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division and is currently signed to the Brave CF. A professional competitor since 2010, Ortiz has also formerly competed for the UFC, RFA, ...

on July 28, 2018 at

UFC on Fox 30 ''UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 30'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 28, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Background The ...

. He lost the fight via knockout due to a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round. In February 2019, news surfaced that Nicolau had been released from the UFC.

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. In his promotional debut he faced Alan Gabriel at Future FC 5 on May 24, 2019. He won the fight via anaconda choke. 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. Nicolau won the fight via unanimous decision. 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. However, the event was postponed until a to-be-determined date due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Return to UFC

Nicolau was scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov on January 24, 2021 at

UFC 257 ''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background Starting with ...

. However, Ulanbekov withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. The pairing was eventually rescheduled for

UFC Fight Night 187 ''UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 187'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 45'' and ''UFC Vegas 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 13, 2021 at the UF ...

. However, Ulanbekov withdrew from the bout the second time for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by

Manel Kape Manuel Pedro Gomes (born November 14, 1993) better known as Manel Kape, is an Angolan mixed martial artist currently competing as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed ...

. He won the fight via controversial split decision. 21 out of 21 media members scored the fight for his opponent Kape. Nicolau faced

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Flyweight Champion. He has been professi ...

on October 9, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 194 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 194'', ''UFC Vegas 39'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 9, 2021 at the UFC ...

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

Matt Schnell Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alli ...

on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Back ...

. He won the bout via knockout in the second round. Nicolau is schedule to face

Brandon Royval Brandon Matthew Royval (born August 6, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, Royval has also fo ...

on April 15, 2023 at

UFC on ESPN 44 ''UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 44'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 15, 2023, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, United Stat ...

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 19–2–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:44 , Orlando, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2–1 , David Dvořák , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2–1 , Felipe Efrain , Decision (unanimous) , Brave CF 25: Santiago vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Belo Horizonte, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2–1 , Alan Gabriel , Submission (japanese necktie) , Future FC 5: Alves vs. Ramos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2–1 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) , UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1–1 ,

, Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1–1 , Bruno Mesquita , Submission (japanese necktie) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:27 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1–1 , Derinaldo Guerra da Silva , KO (punch) , Shooto Brazil 49 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:35 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1–1 , Pedro Arruda , KO (punch) , Brazil Fight 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 , Belo Horizonte, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1–1 , Vanderlei Carvalho Leite , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto Brazil 45 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1–1 , Pedro Nobre , TKO (punches) , Bitetti Combat 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:11 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0–1 , Denison Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Bitetti Combat 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0–1 , Larry Passos Vargas , KO (punches) , Brazil Fight 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:09 , Belo Horizonte, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0–1 , Gilberto Dias , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto Brazil 31 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0–1 , Michael Daboville , Submission (triangle choke) , Lions FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Neuchatel, Switzerland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0–1 , Damien Pighiera , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Lions FC 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:26 , Neuchatel, Switzerland , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–0–1 , Larry Passos Vargas , Draw (unanimous) , Brazil Fight 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Belo Horizonte, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Fernando Silva , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Brazil Fight 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Nova Lima Nova Lima is a municipality of about 87,000 people, whose downtown is located about 20 kilometers south of Belo Horizonte, the capital of the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Mining is one of the main economical activities of th ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Pedro Alves Chalita , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pedro Leopoldo Extreme Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Pedro Leopoldo Pedro Leopoldo is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. The city is located in the Greater Belo Horizonte region. As of 2020, the estimated population was 94,712. The city is birthplace to prominent medium Chico Xavier and 19 ...

, Brazil , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Dileno Lopes , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Reginaldo Vieira , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mateus Vasco , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolau, Matheus 1993 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Belo Horizonte Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters