Matheus Nicolau analyzes the duel against Tim Elliott and calls for a fight against the top-10

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

After waging war against Tim Elliott No. UFC Las Vegas 39, Matheus Nicolau He made a point of valuing his victory. In an interview with 'Combate' after last Saturday's show (09), the flyweight fighter (up to 56,7kg) praised his opponent and asked for a confrontation against a member of the top-10.

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"The Tim Elliott It's tough, there's no way I want to pull the sardine to my side, the animal is tough, it has a very different style. This was one of the biggest difficulties during the camp, find people who imitate his way. He has a very good strategy, he doesn't miss much of what he has to do. And I already knew that, a friend of mine fought with him, Pedro Nobre, told me: 'Man, he's going to pretend he wants to change, he's going to irritate you, he's going to make fun and when you want to hit him he's going to grab you' and it was what Tim did in the first round, he did very well, he managed to put him down. He stayed there for a while, controlling me on the gridiron, I think that was the difference for him in the round, as he didn't hit me with anything too hard in the exchange, I even landed some better hands on him”, said Matheus.

Currently in eleventh place in the flyweight rankings, Nicolau admitted he was in no rush to reach the top of the category, but asked for a duel against a top-10 player.

“Like a miner, little by little we are going up, step by step, slowly in the corner there we are going up and we are going to get there. Believe me! Anyone can see me ranked above me, which is where I'm aiming. I see someone on my path that I will face with the greatest pleasure, with honor and I will do my best to get another victory”, concluded the flyweight.

Since returning to Ultimate in March of this year, Matheus still doesn't know what defeat is. The Brazilian fighter won Manel kape in a split decision and Tim Elliot in a unanimous decision by the judges. The fighter has an MMA record of 17 wins, two setbacks and one draw.