Matheus Nicolau has a do-or-die fight lined up.
MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the matchup that Nicolau (19-4-1) is set to fight Asu Almabayev in a flyweight bout (20-2) on Oct. 19 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The bout was first reported by Sportkor.
This is a pivotal bout for Nicolau, a top-15 flyweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. The 31-year-old Brazilian emerged as a sleeper contender at 125 pounds with a six-fight unbeaten stretch that included wins over Matt Schnell, David Dvorak, Tim Elliott, and Manel Kape, but he has lost by knockout in his past two outings. Most recently, he was finished in the second round by Alex Perez.
Almabayev, 30, has impressed in his brief time with the UFC, winning his first three fights with the promotion to run his current win streak to 16 straight. He brings a wealth of high-level experience to the octagon, having also competed for Brave CF and M-1 Global.
