KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UFC’s flyweight division consistently produces some of the most exciting fights in the sport, which is why Matheus Nicolau is disappointed that his potential title eliminator bout at UFC on ESPN 44 landed on the prelims.
A winner of six straight, Nicolau (19-3-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) takes on Brandon Royval in an important fight for the division between two top five competitors, according to the promotion’s flyweight rankings. With champion Brandon Moreno now set to take on Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290, the winner of the flyweight bout between Nicolau and Royval (14-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) could be next in line for a title shot.
“Big fight, big challenge, also a great opportunity and I’m ready,” Nicolau told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I feel ready. I can’t wait for Saturday night. I trained a lot, everything went perfectly here. No injuries at all. I’m coming from a good fighting streak, so I’m ready to go.”
