Matheus Nicolau reveals praise from UFC after successful debut and dreams of fighting against ‘gringo’

M. Nicolau reached his 11th victory in MMA. Photo: Brandon Magnus/UFC

In the week leading up to the UFC Sao Paulo, in an exclusive chat with the SUPER FIGHTS, the semi-finalist of TUF Brazil 4 Matheus Nicolau promised to present his “best possible version” in his Ultimate debut against reality show colleague Bruno Koreia. And the Nova União athlete not only kept his word, but also came away with a significant victory in the fight that opened last Saturday's event (07).

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Speaking again exclusively to SUPER FIGHTS, now officially a UFC fighter and having a victory in the biggest event on the planet under his belt, Matheus commented on the triumph over Koreia, revealed that he had received praise from the top Brazilian leadership of Ultimate and said that he hopes to face foreign opponents from now on.

“It is very rewarding to prepare for a goal and achieve it. I had the opportunity to talk to Giovani Decker (director of UFC in Brazil) backstage after my fight, very quickly, he was very focused on doing the things he had to do at the event, but he was very satisfied with what he saw ”, said Matheus. “I would much more like to fight foreigners than Brazilians. I don't think there's any point in putting Brazilians like that against each other. What I really want is to fight against the foreigners”, he concluded.

Now Matheus Nicolau has a professional record of 11 wins, one loss and one draw. The Belo Horizonte miner extended his undefeated streak to four consecutive victories.

Check out Matheus Nicolau’s full interview below:

Before the fight you said you wanted to show your best Matheus Nicolau possible. Do you think you achieved your goal?

Due to the circumstances of the fight, the level of my opponent, the danger he caused me and the strategy I had to follow, and what work it was, I think I showed my best. Matheus Nicolau to this day and certainly the best Matheus Nicolau for that moment. However, he wasn't even close to the best Matheus will show himself. I'm starting to reach my potential, I have a lot to evolve, a lot to grow, and this is just the beginning. I'm happy with the fight, it's very gratifying to come in with a victory like that, getting the submission. But I'm not satisfied yet.

Analyze your winning performance. Many fans and experts praised his performance and said that, especially in comparison with Korea, his evolution was notable. How do you receive these comments?

It's very rewarding to prepare for a goal and achieve it, and also receive praise from fans and experts. We work very hard for this, to get there and present good work and, of course, it is great to have this effort recognized. However, as I said before, I am happy, but not completely satisfied with my performance. I think there is a lot to be done and learn from mistakes. But I will continue on my path, persisting and always seeking evolution.

In addition to the good presentation, you managed a very unusual finish over Koreia, tell us what that moment was like? This, in fact, was his fourth submission victory in his career, and his fourth from a different position. To what do you credit the versatility of your jiu-jitsu?

I think the best feeling in the world is a sense of accomplishment and that was exactly what I felt at that moment. I accomplished my mission, which was to emerge victorious, and more than that, I managed to emerge victorious in style, with a finish like that. This was a submission that I did a lot in my training and that I came across for the first time when the Leo Santos passed me at the gym. And I tried a lot to do a lot of arm triangles, but as my arms are a little short and with that variation you don't need to close like a common rear naked choke, you can close hand to hand. So, it's a finalization that I found easier to do. And I did a lot in training, but I didn't even come close to doing it in a fight. And, at that moment, Koreia was already a little tired, worried about the beatings he was taking and gave me that opportunity. Everything was very automatic, I saw the opening, I got the submission and I felt that he was starting to fade away, I kept the pressure on and waited for the referee to interrupt. It was truly a magical moment. We train a lot for this, and being able to fulfill my mission in style was very rewarding.

And I credit the versatility of my jiu-jitsu to the people who are by my side, who are always willing to teach me. I started in martial arts with Caveirinha in Belo Horizonte. After that, within Caveirinha itself, I was always a very concise boy when it came to information and learning, and despite having other teachers, my first was Rodrigo Freitas, but not only them, all my companions, who always They gave me some details. And I've always been a guy who's always worried about becoming stagnant. When I was 18, I went to Switzerland to make my international debut, I spent some time there with Igor Araújo, learning from him and his students. Then, I went to Nova União and there I discovered a new world, another style of jiu-jitsu. Within Nova União, I trained a lot at Pimpolho's academy, who is an excellent black belt, whose history in jiu-jitsu speaks for itself. But, as I said, this is just the beginning, I intend to evolve much more and I am always in search of knowledge.

And now, what does the future hold for Matheus Nicolau and, most importantly, what do you expect as your next step in the UFC, any particular opponents or goals in mind?

I think it's still a little early to say about my future or the decisions I'm going to make, first I'm going to enjoy this victory, because we worked really hard for it. And right after that I will sit down with my coaches, with Roberto Corvo, Dedé Pederneiras, with my nutritionist Daniela, my doctor Dr. Gustavo and my physical trainer Pirata, my entire team, together with my family, and we will decide which one will be the future of my career. My biggest goal is to live one day at a time and make the sky the limit.

The vice president of UFC in Brazil Giovani Decker said he was “distressed” to see the fight between two Brazilians, you and Koreia. Is this something that bothers you, do you have a preference for taking on foreign fighters from now on?

It's not something that bothers me, because I see any opponent as a person in front of my goals and I have to beat him, regardless of who he is. But I would definitely like to fight foreigners much more than Brazilians. I don't think there's any point in putting Brazilians like that to face each other, of course the fight against Koreia was a separate case because we had to fight because we were TUF semifinalists and that's how it happens in the company, but I don't think who has reason to fight against Brazilians. What I really want is to fight against the foreigners.

In fact, have you received any contact from UFC management commenting on your performance, or even talking about contract renewal?

I had the opportunity to talk to Giovani (Decker) backstage after my fight, very quickly, he was very focused on doing the things he had to do at the event, but he seemed very satisfied with what he saw. Not only in terms of my performance, for being victorious, but also in terms of the fight in general, for Koreia as well. And not just him, the other people involved in the event's production, the media, the fans, everyone commented very highly on the fight. So, I think we did a good job.