Matt Schnell | Honest, Excited, And Dangerous

“When I laid ’em down, I thought I was done,” he added. “I was mad — I was mad at me, mad at a lot of things — and let’s call a spade a spade: I pitched a fit out there after I came up short, and I had some time to think about it.”

Walking out of the Octagon that evening last September, Schnell was met by some of the UFC brass, who offered words of encouragement that had the former Ultimate Fighter contestant and Top 15 mainstay instantly starting to pull at the threads of his decision to retire.

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Time away gave him time to not only examine how he felt about the sport but also reflect on the way he looked at himself within it and how he spoke to himself throughout his career. While countless athletes will tell you about the “haters” and online agitators that spend their days trying to get under people’s skin, uttering some of the nastiest and most abhorrent things imaginable while tucked behind a keyboard, few will ever open up about the things they say to themselves and the impact that self-talk can have on one’s mental state and outlook.

“It's such a curious thing to me that I’ll allow people I don’t know from anonymous accounts with anime characters as their profile picture say the nastiest things and I’ll let that hurt my feelings, but what’s silly about that I that I’m so much worse to myself, admitted Schnell, an all-action fighter cut from the same cloth as his fellow Louisiana native and good friend Dustin Poirier. “Nobody says anything meaner to me than I’ve said to myself, so I’m trying to just be a little more grateful, a little more thankful for the opportunities I’ve had and continue to have.

“We gotta be kinder to ourselves,” continued the proud husband and father, speaking a universal truth that everyone needs to take to heart. “Yeah, things haven’t been seamless, and I haven’t gone on huge undefeated streaks, marched through and fought for titles, but I’ve been close though, and I’ve made some noise, fought some good fights, had some triumphant moments and trying moments as well. And all of that has accumulated to who I am today, and I’m grateful for the things I have.

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“I’ve built so much, have so much — fighting’s been good to me,” he added. “And I love it, still! I love it so much!”

The pause allowed him to rekindle the passion he has for the sport, and in April, Schnell returned to the win column, rallying in the second half of his fight with Flick to collect his first win since his epic comeback submission finish of Sumudaerji on Long Island in the summer of 2022.

“Jimmy was a tough fight,” said Schnell, reflecting on his return to performance in Kansas City. “He had some good moments, won the first half of the fight, and I think I was just able to reel him in by doing what I’m good at, which is being mean, hurting people, finding spots to drop elbows.

“When I had my moments, I made them count, and I’m expecting much the same on Saturday,” he added with an excited smile. “I’ma try and rip these things!”

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Not only is this weekend’s pairing with Morales a quality matchup against an ascending talent, but it also serves as the co-main event of the evening, an honor that neither Morales nor Schnell has had before.

While he admitted that in the past, the distinction is something he would have scoffed at and been dismissive of — “Whatever!” — this more grateful version of “Danger” is definitely appreciative of the opportunity.

“How about that?!” he said with a smile when asked about serving as the penultimate pairing this weekend. “Morales is hot right now: just came off a stellar performance, was a big underdog in his last fight, and just smacked that guy. What a testament to him and his grit to overcome the adversity of being cut.”

The 31-year-old Team Alpha MMA representative reached the UFC for the first time in the summer of 2017 as an undefeated prospect and picked up both a win and a post-fight bonus in his debut. But consecutive losses and the uncertain future of the 125-pound weight cut contributed to Morales being released following his November 2018 loss to Eric Shelton, and kicked off an extended period of uncertainty for the Sacramento-based fighter.

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After earning three wins in four-plus years while battling injuries, Morales resurfaced on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he was drafted second overall as a member of Team Sonnen. Wins over Eduardo Chapolin, the No. 1 pick, and Imanol Rodriguez punched his ticket to the flyweight tournament finale at UFC 319, and in August, “Bopo” earned his way back onto the roster with a second-round submission win over the heavily-favored Alibi Idiris.

“I see these stories — even guys like (Brandon) Moreno — during that flyweight purge where we were all on thin ice. Guys lost their jobs, and I don’t know how I would have dealt with that; I truly don’t, but to see how he did deal with it is impressive stuff. It’s commendable and something that I very much respect him for.”

He also respects that Morales is going to come out there on Saturday ready to scrap, something that is a guarantee whenever Schnell steps into the Octagon.

“We know this is gonna be a scrap!” he said, that excited smile once again plastered on his face. “He’s put in some good fights, but you can go pull any one of my UFC fights — pull any one of them: scrap guaranteed. Me versus anybody — scrap guaranteed, and I don’t say that lightly. I know there are other guys like that in the UFC, but they’re few and far between, but that’s why we love ’em, and I’m one of those guys.

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“I’m gonna go out there and rip ’em around, try my best. I’ve come up short in the past, I’ve fallen short of my own expectations, but I’m just trying to learn to give myself a little more grace, be a little more kind, and we’ll see how things work out. I expect Saturday, this fight is gonna get interesting. We’re both gonna hurt, we’re both gonna be in deep, dark places, and let’s find out who wants it.”

Fourteen months removed from walking away in a frustrated huff, Schnell has the chance to close out the year with a second straight victory and move another step closer to reclaiming residence in the Top 15.

“Wouldn’t it be something?” he asked rhetorically. “Morales is a killer and he’s gonna try to march me down, so it’s gonna be up to me to stay sound defensively and put on a good performance. I can do it — I’ve still got some good fights in me — and I’ma show y’all Saturday night. 

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“Go out there, do my best, get my hand raised at the end of the night — it’s everything we’ve worked for,” added the veteran. “I don’t think anybody deserves anything in this world and in this sport, certainly not — fighting is so great because it’s so pure — but in a world ever more void of men who are, I believe I am worthy, so let’s go!”