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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division of the

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

(UFC). He has also competed in the

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

(Brave CF) and the Future FC.

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 s ...

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 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 in the Ultimate Fighting ...

on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. He won the fight via split decision. Nicolau was expected to face Ulka Sasaki on November 19, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 100. 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 arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

on December 30, 2017 at

UFC 219 ''UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 30, 2017, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas–Paradise, NV MSA, Las Vegas metropolitan area. ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Nicolau faced Dustin Ortiz on July 28, 2018 at UFC on Fox 30. 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Return to UFC

Nicolau was scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257. 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. 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 competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Competing professionally since 2009, Elliott is the former Titan FC Flyweig ...

on October 9, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194. 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 currently competing in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alliance ...

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 the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. B ...

. He won the bout via knockout in the second round. Nicolau faced

Brandon Royval Brandon Matthew Royval (born August 16, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, Royval has also formerly compet ...

on April 15, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 44. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Nicolau was scheduled for a rematch against Manel Kape on January 13, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 234. At the weigh-ins, Kape weighed in at 129.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit, and the bout was cancelled. The pair was rescheduled for April 27, 2024 at

UFC on ESPN 55 ''UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 55'' and ''UFC Vegas 91'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 27, 2024, at the UFC Apex facility, in Enterprise, N ...

. However, Kape withdrew for unknown reasons and he was replaced by Alex Perez. Nicolau lost the fight to Perez by knockout in the second round. Nicolau faced Asu Almabayev on October 19, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 245. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. On October 29, 2024, it was announced that Nicolau was released from the UFC.

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

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, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

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Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2–1 , Manel Kape , 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 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2–1 , Alan Gabriel , Submission (Japanese necktie) , Future FC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2–1 , Dustin Ortiz , KO (head kick and punches) , UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

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, 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, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1–1 , Pedro Arruda , KO (punch) , Brazil Fight 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

, 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 ,

, 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 capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0–1 , Michael Daboville , Submission (triangle choke) , Lions FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

, Switzerland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0–1 , Damien Pighiera , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Lions FC 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:26 ,

, Switzerland , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–0–1 , Larry Passos Vargas , Draw (unanimous) , Brazil Fight 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, 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 the c ...

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Pedro Leopoldo Pedro Leopoldo is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. The city is located in the Greater Belo Horizonte region. According to the most recent census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the population of th ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Reginaldo Vieira , Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mateus Vasco , Submission (rear-naked choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 , , -

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 Martial artists from Belo Horizonte Martial artists from Minas Gerais Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen