Romance can be quite a powerful motivator.
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight
contender Matheus
Nicolau has grand designs on his division, and he does not plan
on being at the top by himself. The upcoming
UFC on ESPN 33 card on Saturday will have two important
chapters to set up the future of flyweight division, and Nicolau
aims to cement his place as a top contender with a decisive
win.
Besides the fight between Askar
Askarov and Kai Kara
France, ranked two and six, respectively, there is one more
matchup pitting top-10 flyweights against one another. The
Columbus, Ohio, event will also feature a fight between Brazilian
Nicolau (17-2-1) and the surging David
Dvorak (20-3), with the latter coming off three straight UFC
wins. Nicolau spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming bout, and what he
plans after it takes place.
“David is a pretty solid fighter [and] well-rounded,” Nicolau
admitted. “He has the same number of knockouts and submissions. For
being very experienced, he feels the rhythm of the fight and
normally reacts over what the opponent brings to him. No doubt it’s
going to be a great challenge to me, but I’m ready to solve this
puzzle and bring another victory.”
When asked to give his predictions about the next challenges in his
division, Nicolau displayed that he is paying very close attention
to the flyweight landscape.
“Flyweight division is one of the toughest today,” the Brazilian
said proudly. “The fights are so even that it’s really hard to pick
winners. But concerning the top-ranked guys who already have the
fights confirmed, I would say Askarov is [a] little favorite over
Kara France; I would bet Brandon
Royval will beat Matt
Schnell and, if UFC confirms the rumors, I believe Deiveson
Figueiredo will win his fourth fight with Brandon
Moreno.”
In case of a win over Dvorak, Nicolau believes he would have two or
three more fights until he earns a title shot.
“I would love to face any of the above winners next in fights that
would make sense, but now my goal is 100% in Dvorak, which is
another great challenge,” he explained.
Training out of Nova Uniao in Brazil, Nicolau praised the
opportunity to train with his idol, Jose Aldo.
“Since the first day in Nova Uniao, Aldo has been really nice with
me,” Nicolau happily explained. “Having him as a training partner
is an opportunity to evolve every day. Aldo is such an inspiration
to me. Reaching the top is hard. Aldo got the title, stayed
undefeated for 10 years, then lost the title and came down to
bantamweight, getting three straight wins over some of the toughest
guys of the division. How many guys in MMA history could stay among
the best for 15 years? Aldo is definitely someone I look up
to.”
Another training partner that puts a smile on Matheus’ face is the
UFC’s 15th ranked strawweight fighter: his girlfriend, Luana
Pinheiro.
“Sometimes we have to control ourselves to stop living MMA 24 hours
a day,” recognized the passionate Nicolau.
The Brazilian lauds her Judo background as something that both
inspires him and helps him train harder.
“Her father is a Judo Shihan; she competed since [she was] six
years old,” Nicolau noted. “She grew up with the discipline of
losing weight. She is so dedicated; she never misses [training].
She is such an unbelievable athlete. What impresses me more about
her is that in day-to-day routine, she is so emotional, but as soon
as she starts to warm up, she turns on what I call ‘Lulu killer
mode.’”
Pinheiro has won both of her appearances inside the Octagon, and
she sports a win streak of eight straight. With UFC victories over
Randa
Markos and Sam Hughes,
Pinheiro is booked to take on former Invicta Fighting Championships champ Jessica
Penne on April 30.
“For the way she is dedicated to training and how fast she is
evolving, I have no doubt that soon she will reach the top of the
rankings,” he expects.
Nicolau revealed that he and his significant other have a very
important goal in mind. They do not plan to exchange rings, but
rather want to conquer belts.
“It’s not just our dream, it’s a plan that we are working hard
every day to achieve. We want to be the first couple champions in
UFC history,” Nicolau concluded.