Matheus Nicolau wins battle against Tim Elliott and remains undefeated since returning to the UFC

M. Nicolau (right) defeated T. Elliott (left) in the UFC Las Vegas 39. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

It gave Brazil. In his second commitment since his return to Ultimate, Matheus Nicolau successfully went through a real battle in UFC Las Vegas 39, held this Saturday (9), in the United States. In front of the experienced Tim Elliott, the Minas Gerais native didn't have an easy life, but he was superior in part of the confrontation. After three rounds, the Tupiniquim was declared the winner in a unanimous decision by the judges.

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Returning to the organization in 2021, after a controversial dismissal in 2018, Matheus continues without an easy life. In his 'welcome' duel, the combatant faced and defeated the promising Manel kape. For the second challenge, the 'problem' was the former challenger for the flyweight belt (under 56,7kg).

With his new success, Nicolau is getting closer to his dream of a future title fight. The victory places Minas Gerais in the top 10 of the division, which today is led by Brandon Moreno.

Defeated in the judges' decision, Elliott's desire to achieve the third positive result in a row was frustrated. Before facing Matheus, the American had victories over Ryan Benoit and Jordan Espinosa.

The fight

In the opening seconds, Matheus took the initiative with a low kick, which exploded through Elliott's legs. The North American swayed and tried to mislead the Brazilian. Nicolau moved well and scored with jabs at Tim's waistline. After just over a minute, the veteran rocked the Minas Gerais native with a cross. Matheus, however, recovered quickly and managed to get up. Elliott provoked, but Nicolau didn't play into his rival's game. With two minutes remaining, the Brazilian risked a shot, but ended up caught by the North American, who took the Tupiniquim to the ground. Nicolau managed to get up, but the North American was still 'glued' to the miner's back. In the final minute, Tim continued to press Matheus against the bars, but the Tupiniquim protected himself and avoided the fall. The Brazilian managed to free himself and then connected with a sequence of jabs straight to his opponent's face. The round ended with the fighters exchanging blows in the center of the Octagon.

In the second stage, Elliott went up and started a grappling fight. The Brazilian managed to move away and attacked his opponent with a cross, which rocked the North American. Nicolau continued to score with combinations of punches and kicks, but Tim remained dangerous with his counterattacks. Halfway through the round, Elliott attempted the takedown again, but the Minas Gerais native defended well. The confrontation continued back and forth, with the fighters exchanging blows in the center of the Octagon. In the final minute, the North American attempted a takedown again, but the Minas Gerais native was alert and defended himself well. The assault ended with Matheus waddling around the octagon.

The last round started with Matheus pressing with a cross. Elliott responded with a 'tip', but the blow went empty. The North American tried to pressure the Minas Gerais native with a combination of crosses, but the Brazilian managed to escape. Tim went back to looking for takedowns and taking the fight to the ground, but, again, Nicolau defended himself well. Elliott continued to press and pressed his rival against the bars. Matheus managed to move away and was looking for the best moment to hit his opponent. After almost three minutes, the Brazilian took advantage of his opponent's oversight, sought his legs and took the duel to the ground. From below, Tim tried to stop the confrontation, while Matheus risked attacks from above. The veteran remained stuck with the Minas Gerais player, trying to prevent the Tupiniquim's transitions, and Nicolau was looking to score. In the final seconds, Elliott managed to get up and the athletes tried a frank exchange, but there was no more time.

Randy Brown goes through 'war' and wins on points

R. Brown (left) defeated J. Gooden (right) in the UFC Las Vegas 39. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Representative of welterweights (up to 77kg.), Randy Brown once again delivered a great show to the fans. Known for his aggressiveness, the veteran did not have an easy time in his commitment against Jared Gooden, in the co-main fight of the show. After three rounds of intense exchanges, the combatant was declared the winner by unanimous decision of the judges.

With the victory, Brown reaches his second positive result in a row. Before the challenge in UFC Las Vegas 39, the combatant was triumphing over Alex Cowboy.

Defeated at the show, Gooden sold the setback dearly. The stumble prevented the young man from achieving his second consecutive victory.

UFC Las Vegas 39 results

MAIN CARD

Straw weight (up to 52,1kg): Marina Rodriguez derrotou Mackenzie dern in the unanimous decision of the judges (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

Welterweight (up to 77kg): Randy Brown derrotou Jared Gooden in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Matheus Nicolau derrotou Tim Elliott in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Maria Agapova finished Sabina mazo with a rear naked choke at 53 sec. from R3

Bantam weight (up to 62,1kg): Chris Gutierrez derrotou Felipe Cabocão in the judges' split decision (30-27. 28-29, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Alexander Romanov derrotou Jared Vanderaa by technical knockout at 4m43s of R2

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Damon Jackson derrotou Charles Rosa in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28. 29-27, 30-27)

Straw weight (up to 52,1kg): Loopy Godinez finished Silvana Gomez Juarez with an armbar at 4m14s of R1

Light weight (up to 70,3kg.): Steve Garcia defeated Charlie Ontiveros by technical knockout at 1m51s of R1