Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional

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 ...

. He currently competes 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 in 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). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion. As of December 19, 2022, he is #8 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Caged

In 2012, Schnell was one of the young MMA fighters featured in '' Caged'' - an MTV reality television series. The show focused on four prospective MMA fighters in small-town Louisiana. Schnell was one of the two fighters on the show, alongside Tony Kelley, to later fight professionally.

Legacy Fighting Championship

Schnell joined Legacy Fighting Championship in 2012 and went 9–2 in various promotions before joining the cast of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', season 24.

The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions

On May 11, 2016, the UFC announced that the 16 contestants for '' The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions'' would be flyweight champion fighters from various organizations around the world, with the winner being expected to have a chance to fight for the flyweight title against Demetrious Johnson. Schnell was announced as part of the cast in July and selected for Team Cejudo. In the first round on the show, Schnell seeded at #6 faced #11 Matt Rizzo and defeated him in the second round via a triangle choke submission. Schnell advanced to the quarterfinals and faced #3 seed Tim Elliott. He lost the fight via first-round submission due to a bulldog choke.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After his stint on ''The Ultimate Fighter'', Schnell was chosen as one of the cast mates to get a contract. Schnell fought Rob Font in the bantamweight division at The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Schnell returned to the flyweight division and faced Hector Sandoval on April 22, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Schnell next fought on October 7, 2017 at UFC 216 against Marco Beltrán. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Schnell faced Naoki Inoue on June 23, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 132 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 132'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 23, 2018, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Back ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Schnell faced Louis Smolka in a bantamweight bout on March 9, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

. He won the fight via a triangle choke submission in the first round. As the first fight of his new, four-fight contract, Schnell faced Jordan Espinosa on August 3, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 5. He won the fight via a triangle choke submission in the first round. The win also earned Schnell his first Performance of the Night bonus award. Schnell faced Alexandre Pantoja on December 21, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 165. He lost the fight via first-round knockout. Schnell was expected to face Tyson Nam on September 12, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 183. However, Schnell was removed from the fight on the day of the event's weigh-in for health issues related to his weight cut. As a result, the fight was cancelled. The bout with Nam was first rescheduled to UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal, on December 19, 2020, and then to UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny, on January 20, 2021. He won the bout by split decision. As the first fight of his new multi-fight contract, Schnell was scheduled to meet Alex Perez May 15, 2021 at UFC 262. However, Perez pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by

Rogério Bontorin Rogério Raab Bontorin (born 25 April 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2013, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

. At the weigh ins, Bontorin weighed in at 137 pounds, 1 pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Bontorin was fined 20% of his individual purse, which went to Schnell. Schnell lost the bout via unanimous decision. The bout with Perez was rescheduled and was expected to take place on August 28, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze. However, for undisclosed reason the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. However, the bout was yet again postponed for unknown reasons to UFC 269. At the weigh-ins Alex Perez weighed in at 126.25 pounds, a quarter-pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. Shortly after the weigh-ins, officials had announced that the bout had been cancelled due Schnell was forced to withdraw from the event due to a medical issue. The pair was rescheduled to UFC 271 on February 12, 2022. At weigh-ins, Perez came in at 128 pounds and did not attempt to try again, resulting in Matt Schnell refusing to take the catchweight bout and the bout being scrapped. Schnell faced Brandon Royval on May 7, 2022 at

UFC 274 ''UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The event was originally link ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. The fight also won both men the ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Schnell faced Su Mudaerji on July 16, 2022 at UFC on ABC 3. After getting hit and wobbled by multiple flush punches and elbow strikes, Schnell gained top position and came back to win the bout via technical submission with a triangle choke in the second round. This win earned both fighters the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Schnell faced Matheus Nicolau on December 3, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 42. He lost the bout via knockout in the second round.

Personal life

Schnell and his wife Morgan have a daughter (born 2020).

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One time) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) * Legacy Fighting Alliance **Legacy FC Flyweight champion (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 (1) , Matheus Nicolau , KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:44 , Orlando, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 (1) , Su Mudaerji , Technical Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

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, NC (overturned) , UFC 262 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Tyson Nam , Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 , Alexandre Pantoja , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Jordan Espinosa , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Louis Smolka , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

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Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the n ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Marco Beltrán , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 216 , , 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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Hector Sandoval , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 , Rob Font , KO (knee and punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Klayton Mai , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC 52 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

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Jonathan Martinez Jonathan Martinez (born April 20, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Martinez currently competes in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Martinez was born and grew up in Cali ...

, DQ (illegal knee) , Legacy FC 49 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:21 ,

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Vanderlei Carvalho Leite , KO (punches) , Legacy FC 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Albert Tapia , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC: Legacy Kickboxing 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:19 , Shreveport, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Chris Myers , Submission (guillotine choke) , Caged Warrior Championship 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane– Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's governme ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Thomas Coleman , Submission (inverted triangle choke) , Summit FC 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Latral Perdue , KO (punch) , GFA 27: The Stage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Klayton Mai , Submission (guillotine choke) , Legacy FC 32 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Roger Reyes , Submission (guillotine choke) , WFC 17: Battle at the Belle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of count ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Elias Garcia , Decision (majority) , Legacy FC 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Corpus Christi, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marcus Dupar , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 , Houston, Texas, United States, , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ryan Hollis , Decision (split) , Legacy FC 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States, , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Tim Elliott , Submission (guillotine choke) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:26 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Matt Rizzo , Submission (triangle choke) , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:04 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schnell, Matt 1984 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Amory, Mississippi Mixed martial artists from Mississippi Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Participants in American reality television series American male karateka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu