Matheus Nicolau recorded three wins in four bouts in his first run inside the octagon (not including his 2-1 journey on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4), but he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nicolau, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was 22 when he made his UFC debut in 2015, forcing Bruno Rodrigues to tap to a smooth Japanese necktie in Sao Paulo. He then beat John Moraga, who was coming off a No. 1 contender match with Joseph Benavidez, before improving to 3-0 in the company with a win over Louis Smolka.