Sherdog Prospect Watch: Matheus Camilo

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Matheus Camilo was ready, willing and able to leave the regional scene behind as soon as the Ultimate Fighting Championship called his number.

The 24-year-old lightweight prospect will make his organizational debut when he meets Gabriel Green in the featured UFC Fight Night 256 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Camilo steps into the Octagon with plenty of momentum, having rattled off six consecutive victories. He last appeared under the Z-Fight Night banner in South Korea, where he took a unanimous decision from Dorobshokh Nabotov—the Tajikistan native who famously asked UFC CEO Dana White for a contract from the crowd during a press conference—on Dec. 14.

“From that win, I got signed by the UFC,” Camilo told Sherdog.com. “That was a key moment in my life.”

Green figures to be a much more difficult riddle to solve. A Combate Global and Bellator MMA alum, he enters his latest assignment on the heels of back-to-back defeats. Green, 32, has not competed since he suffered a 14-second knockout loss to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 winner Bryan Battle at UFC on ABC 4 in May 2023.

“He’s pretty experienced,” Camilo said. “This will be his sixth fight in the UFC. This is the sort of challenge I’ve always wanted. When this fight was offered to me, I didn’t think twice. I said yes. I’ve studied him extensively. He’s a tough fighter who likes to strike. It will be a fun fight considering my style. I also like to bang it out.”

Camilo likes his chances no matter where the bout plays out.

“If the fight stays on the feet, that’s where I’ll win, and if the fight goes to the mat, then I’ll win there,” he said. “That’s always my mindset.”

Such confidence was born out of countless hours in the gym at Nova Uniao in Camilo’s native Brazil and Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, where he now lives and trains on a full-time basis.

“I’ve had a great camp,” he said. “It was very well organized. Our training sessions have been excellent.”

Camilo has no plans to change his approach, which has served him well to this point.

“I’m only looking at the fight in front of me,” he said. “I’m taking things one step at a time, brick by brick. The future is in God’s hands, but I’m working hard to bring this victory back home to Brazil.”