Matheus Nicolau edged out Tim Elliott in a very close flyweight bout at UFC Vegas 39.
Top 10 ranked flyweight Tim Elliott had built up a bit of steam lately, with two straight wins under his belt. Come Saturday’s UFC Vegas 39, he was looking for a third against Matheus Nicolau, who was in his second stint with the promotion and looking for win number four overall — with his last outing being his return fight against Manel Kape.
Elliott was truly vibing round one; the man normally is flowy and unique in his movements but it was on full display in round one. While he kept Nicolau guessing with his feints, his right straights were landing at will. Elliott got a massive slam takedown and briefly moved to the back but Nicolau did a good job of bouncing back to his feet, then found some success in the final moments of the round as he landed a good three-piece combination at the horn.
Elliott nearly secured a takedown within the opening seconds of round two but Nicolau did a good job of fighting him off. Nicolau began finding a home for his counters whenever Elliot blitzed in, but Elliott was still the more active and busy man. He continued his wild technique and movement to slip most of Nicolau’s punches and also kept control of the cage. Elliott shot for two takedowns in the final minute but was unable to get either; going into round three it was a drastically different fight than it was after the first frame.
Nicolau opened up with a great combination to start the third round but was soon stopped in his tracks by a solid left by Elliott. Elliott had a solid level-change but was unable to get the takedown once again, Elliott tried his best to keep up the pressure with his unique style but Nicolau countered with a perfect takedown of his own. Elliott was held on the bottom until the final ten seconds where he was able to get back to his feet for one final blitz.
Punches flying ✈️ to end an exciting 1️⃣5️⃣ minutes! #UFCVegas39 pic.twitter.com/ld3gJ08Mam
— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2021
Official Result: Matheus Nicolau def. Tim Elliott via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
