‘You looked f*cking great’: Matheus Camilo stole Dorobshokh Nabotov’s hype to impress Dana White for UFC deal

Matheus Camilo | Photo via ZFN’s Instagram page

Undefeated MMA fighter Dorobshokh Nabotov used the UFC 308 press conference in Abu Dhabi this past October to ask Dana White for a chance to show his talent in the octagon. In the end, it was Matheus Camilo who stole the show and earned a contract with the promotion.

Instead of getting Nabotov a shot at Dana White’s Contender Series, the head of the UFC secured him a match at Z Fight Night in South Korea, a promotion founded by former UFC title challenger “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. White watched from home alongside Matt Serra and Din Thomas, and saw Camilo dominate with slick calf kicks and submission attempts to emerge victorious via decision in December.

“Listen, this happens a lot,” White said on an episode of Lookin’ For A Fight. “You get your opportunity to have your moment, where the world gets to see you, all this hype around him because he was at the press conference and everybody reported on it, and Matheus was the guy that came in and absolutely stole his moment from him.”

Camilo is now 9-2 as a professional fighter. He makes his first walk inside the UFC APEX when he faces Gabe Green this Saturday at UFC Vegas 106.

“It was a show built for the guy, the media around him with the hype,” Camilo told MMA Fighting. “It was a huge opportunity for me. I was watching when he asked Dana [at the press conference] and never imagined I would fight him. I was training in Vegas when they called me to fight, and I said absolutely yes. It was an opportunity to change my life.”

Camilo won the decision and admits he thought not getting a finish would mean no contract with the UFC, but the White vlog showed how the UFC CEO was excited about his performance. At one point, due to Nabotov’s lack of offense, it felt like White was rooting for the 24-year-old Brazilian.

“Matheus, you looked unbelievable,” White told Camilo via video conference after the fight. “You were definitely more well-rounded. You started chopping that leg in he first round, damaged it, and pretty much, in our opinion, controlled the fight the rest of the night.

“As young as you are, 23 years old [at the time], you really impressed us tonight. Congratulations kid, you’re getting in the UFC. You flew over there to Korea, this guy was the A-side of this thing, all the hype behind him, and you took the opportunity and made the most of it. And you looked f*cking great tonight, so congratulations.”

“I was very emotional,” Camilo said. “I was a bit apprehensive [White wouldn’t sign me] because the fight didn’t go as I wanted. I never imagined he would try to hold me down the entire time. I wanted a war, an absolute banger, but it turned out different. But I was able to hurt him and was surprised when Dana said I was getting signed.”

Camilo flew back to Las Vegas, where he lives and trains, and waited for a call to make his octagon debut. The Green fight comes almost exactly five years after the death of his father, one of his main supporters from day one.

“My dad was always very strict with me,” Camilo said. “At first he said I would only be able to leave Acre to train at Nova Uniao after I finished high school, and then there was no turning back. It was all good at first, I was very happy, but it all changed when the [COVID-19] pandemic hit. That’s when my father got sick and we lost him. He was my biggest supporter. He was there for me. When he passed away, that’s when my real fight began, if that’s what I really wanted, if I was willing to be away from my family this entire time. That’s when the desert began, and I’m still here.”

Camilo considered quitting the sport, but his mother refused to let him give up. She sent him back to Rio de Janeiro to train with his idol Jose Aldo, and he later moved to Las Vegas looking for bigger opportunities. Camilo’s father passed away on May 15, 2020, and he’s now in his first official week as a UFC fighter.

“I get flashbacks from five years ago, when I was crying and lost,” Camilo said, “And now I’m here to make my UFC debut, which was a dream for him, a dream for me. I’m very grateful for this moment.”

Green, Camilo’s first octagon opponent, is 2-3 in the company with losses to Ian Machado Garry, Bryan Battle and Daniel Rodriguez. Given that high-level experience, Camilo doesn’t expect an easy night in the cage.

“I know I’ll only have tough fights in the UFC, it will always be a challenge,” Camilo said. “I’m ready for this. This is what I’ve always wanted, so I wanna make the most of this moment. He’s a tough fighter, moving down from welterweight, and has some experience in the UFC, so I feel honored to be sharing the cage with this guy. It’s going to be a fun fight because he’s the type of fighter that always walks forward and likes to brawl, just like me. And I’m going there to finish this fight, brother. I’m very hungry.”

‘You looked f*cking great’: Matheus Camilo stole Dorobshokh Nabotov’s hype to impress Dana White for UFC deal

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