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

currently competing 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). Schnell formerly competed for

Legacy Fighting Alliance The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merg ...

, where he is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Caged

In 2012, Schnell was one of the young MMA fighters featured in ''

Caged Caged may refer to: Film and TV * ''Caged'' (1950 film), an American film noir directed by John Cromwell * ''Caged'' (2010 film), a French horror film directed by Yann Gozlan * ''Caged'' (2011 film), a Dutch feature film directed by Stephan Brennin ...

'' - an

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

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 Demetrious Khrisna Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight C ...

. 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 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 ...

. 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 Robert Spencer Font (born June 25, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, Font formerly competed for CES ...

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 ''UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on October 7, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Background A UFC Heavyweight Ch ...

against

Marco Beltrán Marco Antonio Beltrán García (born May 18, 1986) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes mainly in the bantamweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, Beltrán has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Schnell faced

Naoki Inoue Naoki Inoue (; born 14 June 1997) is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation, where he is the current Rizin Bantamweight champion. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, Ino ...

on June 23, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 132. He won the fight via split decision. Schnell 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 ...

in a bantamweight bout on March 9, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 146. 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 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background T ...

. 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 ''UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 15, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship ...

. However, Perez pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by

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

. 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 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. 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 ''UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Middleweight Champio ...

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 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 May 7, 2022 at UFC 274. 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 Su Mudaerji ( zh, 苏木达尔基; ; born January 20, 1996), sometimes written as Sumudaerji, is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

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 ''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 lost the bout via knockout in the second round. Schnell was scheduled to face David Dvořák on June 10, 2023 at UFC 289. However, Schnell pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Stephen Erceg. Schnell was scheduled to face Steve Erceg on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. However, Schnell withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Alessandro Costa. He was rescheduled to face Erceg on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238. Schnell suffered his second consecutive knockout and lost the bout in the second round from a left-hook. Schnell was scheduled to face Alessandro Costa on September 7, 2024 at

UFC Fight Night 242 ''UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 242'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 100'', and ''UFC Vegas 97'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 7, 2024, at the UF ...

. However, in under one week before the event, Costa withdrew from the bout due to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Cody Durden in a bantamweight bout. Schnell lost the fight via a ninja choke submission in the second round. Following the bout, Schnell left his gloves in the center of the octagon signaling his retirement from MMA. Schnell came out of retirement to face Jimmy Flick on April 26, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 66. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

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) **Second most triangle-choke submissions in UFC history (3) (behind

Paul Craig Paul Lindsey Craig (born 27 November 1987) is a Scottish mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, Craig formerly competed for BAMMA, where h ...

) **UFC Honors Awards *** 2022: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee & Fan's Choice Comeback of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards ***2022: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year & Ranked #7 Submission of the Year *

**Legacy FC Flyweight champion (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–9 (1) , Jimmy Flick , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Machado Garry vs. Prates , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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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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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, United States , , - , 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 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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 (1) ,

, 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 (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

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Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Tyson Nam , Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 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 Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, 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, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 ,

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

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

, 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, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

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, 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 ,

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 ,

Jonathan Martinez Jonathan Martinez (born April 20, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Martinez currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Martinez from a Salvadoran mother and Mexi ...

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

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

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, 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 Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Chris Myers , Submission (guillotine choke) , Caged Warrior Championship 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

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, 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. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 7th-most populous ...

, 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 the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Elias Garcia , Decision (majority) , Legacy FC 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marcus Dupar , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

, United States, , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ryan Hollis , Decision (split) , Legacy FC 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, 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 Sportspeople from Monroe County, 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