Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. He currently competes in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). Schnell formerly competed for

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

, where he is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion. As of December 19, 2022, he is #8 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Caged

In 2012, Schnell was one of the young MMA fighters featured in ''

Caged In music, a barre chord (also spelled bar chord) is a type of chord on a guitar or other stringed instrument played by using one finger to press down multiple strings across a single fret of the fingerboard (like a bar pressing down the strin ...

'' - an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

reality television series. The show focused on four prospective MMA fighters in small-town Louisiana. Schnell was one of the two fighters on the show, alongside

Tony Kelley Anthony Durian Kelley (born January 21, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2012, he most notably competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background As he entered his ...

, to later fight professionally.

Legacy Fighting Championship

Schnell joined Legacy Fighting Championship in 2012 and went 9–2 in various promotions before joining the cast of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', season 24.

The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions

On May 11, 2016, the UFC announced that the 16 contestants for '' The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions'' would be flyweight champion fighters from various organizations around the world, with the winner being expected to have a chance to fight for the flyweight title against

Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Flyweight Champion (135 lb). He is the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight Champion. Known fo ...

. Schnell was announced as part of the cast in July and selected for Team Cejudo. In the first round on the show, Schnell seeded at #6 faced #11 Matt Rizzo and defeated him in the second round via a triangle choke submission. Schnell advanced to the quarterfinals and faced #3 seed

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Titan Fighting Champions ...

. He lost the fight via first-round submission due to a bulldog choke.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After his stint on ''The Ultimate Fighter'', Schnell was chosen as one of the cast mates to get a contract. Schnell fought

Rob Font Rob Font (born June 25, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Font formerly competed for CES ...

in the bantamweight division at The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Schnell returned to the flyweight division and faced

Hector Sandoval Hector Sandoval (born July 19, 1986) is Mexican-American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently competes in the flyweight division. Background Born in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico ...

on April 22, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Schnell next fought on October 7, 2017 at

UFC 216 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

against

Marco Beltrán Marco Antonio Beltrán García (born May 18, 1986) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes mainly in the bantamweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, Beltrán has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Schnell faced

Naoki Inoue Naoki Inoue ( ja, 井上直樹); born June 14, 1997 in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, Inoue has also competed in the Ultimate Fighti ...

on June 23, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 132 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 132'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 23, 2018, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Back ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Schnell faced

Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, California Xtreme Fighting, Kin ...

in a bantamweight bout on March 9, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

. He won the fight via a triangle choke submission in the first round. As the first fight of his new, four-fight contract, Schnell faced

Jordan Espinosa Jordan Andrew Espinosa (born November 8, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. He is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Espinosa wrestled with the West Mesa High S ...

on August 3, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 5 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background T ...

. He won the fight via a triangle choke submission in the first round. The win also earned Schnell his first

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus award. Schnell faced

Alexandre Pantoja Alexandre Pantoja Passidomo (born, April 16, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, currently fighting for the UFC and is the flyweight champion of the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil. As of August 20, 2022, he is #2 ...

on December 21, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 165 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 165'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 21, 2019 at Sajik Arena in ...

. He lost the fight via first-round knockout. Schnell was expected to face

Tyson Nam Tyson Ka'eo Nam (born October 6, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division for UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Nam has formerly competed for World Series of Fighting, Elite XC, ...

on September 12, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 183 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 183'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 41'' and ''UFC Vegas 17'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 19, 2020 at the UF ...

. However, Schnell was removed from the fight on the day of the event's weigh-in for health issues related to his weight cut. As a result, the fight was cancelled. The bout with Nam was first rescheduled to UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal, on December 19, 2020, and then to UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny, on January 20, 2021. He won the bout by split decision. As the first fight of his new multi-fight contract, Schnell was scheduled to meet Alex Perez May 15, 2021 at

UFC 262 ''UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 15, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship b ...

. However, Perez pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by

Rogério Bontorin Rogério Raab Bontorin (born 25 April 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2013, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

. At the weigh ins, Bontorin weighed in at 137 pounds, 1 pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Bontorin was fined 20% of his individual purse, which went to Schnell. Schnell lost the bout via unanimous decision. The bout with Perez was rescheduled and was expected to take place on August 28, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze. However, for undisclosed reason the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. However, the bout was yet again postponed for unknown reasons to

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. At the weigh-ins Alex Perez weighed in at 126.25 pounds, a quarter-pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. Shortly after the weigh-ins, officials had announced that the bout had been cancelled due Schnell was forced to withdraw from the event due to a medical issue. The pair was rescheduled to

UFC 271 ''UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Middleweight Champio ...

on February 12, 2022. At weigh-ins, Perez came in at 128 pounds and did not attempt to try again, resulting in Matt Schnell refusing to take the catchweight bout and the bout being scrapped. Schnell faced

Brandon Royval Brandon Matthew Royval (born August 6, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, Royval has also forme ...

on May 7, 2022 at

UFC 274 ''UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The event was originally linke ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. The fight also won both men the ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Schnell faced

Su Mudaerji Su Mudaerji ( ch: 苏木达尔基 tb: བསོད་ནམས་དར་རྒྱས།, born January 20, 1996), sometimes written as Sumudaerji is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions of the U ...

on July 16, 2022 at

UFC on ABC 3 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. After getting hit and wobbled by multiple flush punches and elbow strikes, Schnell gained top position and came back to win the bout via technical submission with a triangle choke in the second round. This win earned both fighters the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Schnell faced

Matheus Nicolau Matheus Nicolau Pereira (born January 6, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has also competed in the Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) ...

on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Backg ...

. He lost the bout via knockout in the second round.

Personal life

Schnell and his wife Morgan have a daughter (born 2020).

Championships and accomplishments

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) *

**Legacy FC Flyweight champion (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

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, Technical Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...

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, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

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, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, California Xtreme Fighting, Kin ...

, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, KO (knee and punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Klayton Mai , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC 52 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 ,

Jonathan Martinez Jonathan Martinez (born April 20, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Martinez currently competes in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Martinez was born and grew up in Califo ...

, DQ (illegal knee) , Legacy FC 49 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:21 ,

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Vanderlei Carvalho Leite , KO (punches) , Legacy FC 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Albert Tapia , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC: Legacy Kickboxing 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:19 ,

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Chris Myers , Submission (guillotine choke) , Caged Warrior Championship 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Thomas Coleman , Submission (inverted triangle choke) , Summit FC 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North M ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Latral Perdue , KO (punch) , GFA 27: The Stage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Klayton Mai , Submission (guillotine choke) , Legacy FC 32 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Roger Reyes , Submission (guillotine choke) , WFC 17: Battle at the Belle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Elias Garcia , Decision (majority) , Legacy FC 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marcus Dupar , Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

, United States, , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ryan Hollis , Decision (split) , Legacy FC 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States, , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:26 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Matt Rizzo , Submission (triangle choke) , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:04 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schnell, Matt 1984 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Amory, Mississippi Mixed martial artists from Mississippi Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Participants in American reality television series American male karateka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu