Athletes
Mateus Camilo | Hunger For A Dream
Brazilian Lightweight Looking To Make The Most Of His UFC Opportunity.
Every fighter has a vision of what it would look like to get a UFC contract. Mateus Camilo didn’t think he had to go to South Korea to get his.
“God’s plan is so crazy,” laughed Camilo. “I was thinking about how we could fight on (Dana White’s) Contender Series and nothing happened. Then my manager called me about the fight in South Korea and I said, ‘Let's go.’”
That call was for a slot on last December’s Z-Fight Night card in Goyang, promoted by “The Korean Zombie” himself, Chan Sung Jung. The event was also being featured on the Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight show, so there was a lot on the line when the Brazilian faced Dorobshokh Nabotov.
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“Bro, it doesn't matter where,” he said. “When they called me about this, I said, ‘Yes, it's my opportunity.’ I got it.”
All he had to do was win, and he did just that, taking a unanimous decision and earning his place on the UFC roster.
“The first thought was, I'm in shock and I can't believe it,” said Camilo. “It’s a mix of emotions, a lot of emotions going on and I'm so happy. I spent the whole day smiling.”
Not surprisingly, the first call the 24-year-old made was to his mom.
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“She started crying a lot and I told her, ‘Mom, remember when I wanted to give up and you told me to not give up? So I dedicate this to you.’ And she cried a lot.”
Those were good tears, and a reminder that mom always knows best. So while Camilo’s talent has always been evident, when his father passed away, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep fighting.
“I grew up in a poor family and it was very difficult,” said Camilo. “And I found MMA as a way to change my life. And in the way, I lost my father, and he was my biggest supporter. That was my big challenge because I wanted to give up everything. But my mama didn't let me give up and I put in my heart that I want this for my life because I don't know how to do anything. The fight is the only thing I know to do. I think I was born for this and when I decided to move from my hometown to Rio de Janeiro, it was a big sacrifice because I've been far from my family. But the biggest sacrifice was when I moved to America, because I stayed here without seeing my mama for four years. Everything is about this dream, and this made me hungry.”
Now in Las Vegas for four years, where he trains with the Xtreme Couture squad, Camilo has steadily paid his dues, compiling a 9-2 record en route to his UFC debut against Gabe Green this Saturday in Las Vegas. Doing that while far from home is impressive, but having fellow Brazilians like Mairon Santos and Nikolas Motta in the gym certainly helped in the transition to life in the States.
“A hundred percent because they send me energy, they send me motivation, everything,” said Camilo. “Everybody has the same mentality and that's helped a lot.”
And after three weeks home following the Nabotov fight, when he finally got to see him mom, he got himself a fight. And if you’re wondering, no, he didn’t care who he was facing.
“It doesn't matter who you're going to fight,” he said. “I want to be the best, and who they want me to fight, I'm going to fight. I was on my way to the gym that day and my manager called me and said, ‘I have a fight for you.’ I just said, yes. I didn't look at the guy because I'm always working so hard and I sacrifice a lot. So to take this from me, it's going to be hard.”
So if they said, “Mateus, we need you to move from lightweight to heavyweight and fight Jon Jones,” what would the response be?
“Let's go,” he laughs. “This what I work for, to fight with the best and fight with the tough guys.”
Thankfully, this weekend’s fight will be at 155 pounds, and he can’t wait to get the next chapter of his career started. In a lot of ways, he’s already won by making his mom proud. What would dad have thought?
“This is so hard for me because I wish he was here with me to see this dream come true because we all dreamed about this for a long time,” said Camilo. “He talked about this since I was a kid and it's so hard for me. I know my father’s not here; he's in a better place. But I will do everything to make him proud.”
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Morales took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 17, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!