Currently riding a five-fight winning streak that includes three consecutive decision wins since returning to the UFC fold last March, Nicolau enters this weekend’s main card engagement positioned a couple spots ahead of Schnell in the rankings, sporting an impressive 6-1 record inside the Octagon and an 18-3-1 mark overall.
It’s a critical matchup in a division that should be front and center in 2023, and a chance for the hard-nosed, battle-tested veteran to take another well-earned step forward in his career.
“I think it just further proves that we’ve answered the call, we know the task at hand, and I’m taking the next step,” he said of being at this stage in his career, with a single digit next to his name, facing one of the best flyweights on the planet. “This guy is incredible. I’m fighting the best guys in the world; how ‘bout that?”
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You can hear in Schnell’s voice that being here after having navigated a difficult road filled with detours, hazards, and a couple instances where he had to double-back and start again means a great deal to the all-action competitor, but it has more to do with the journey itself than the destination.
“I tell people all the time — and there’s a lot of people in my circle that hate when I say this — but I promise you I am nobody, from the backwoods of Nowhere. A lot of people get up there and say they’re not supposed to be there, and I’m not sure that I’m not supposed to be here, but I had to scratch and claw my way every step.
“We had the TV show, and I had good moments, but I got here because I did the leg work, took no shortcuts.”
July showed Schnell is appointment viewing each and every time he makes the walk to the Octagon. This weekend, he aims to show that he’s one of the division’s elite.
“I think I’m one of the best, and I’m willing to put my feet on the canvas and prove it,” he said. “Saturday night, let’s get out there and figure it out.”
