An exciting flyweight matchup is headed to the octagon this fall.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Matheus Nicolau and Tim Elliott are targeted to fight at the UFC’s event on Oct. 9. Although a venue and location has yet to be officially announced, the event is expected to take place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Nicolau returned to the UFC in March after winning a pair of fights for Brave CF and Future FC respectively. The No. 12-ranked fighter in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings picked up a split decision win over former RIZIN champion Manel Kape at UFC Vegas 21. A competitor on the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, Nicolau has won nine of his past 10 bouts.
After dropping three straight and four of five between June 2017 and May 2020, Elliott has picked up back-to-back victories. The 34-year-old capped off his 2020 campaign with a decision win over Ryan Benoit and followed that by putting together one of the best performances of his career in a dominant unanimous decision victory against Jordan Espinosa at UFC 259 this past March.
The UFC’s Oct. 9 event is scheduled to feature a pivotal strawweight matchup between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez in the main event.