Camilo embraces hostile crowd and vows to expose Sadykhov's weaknesses at UFC Baku

Matheus Camilo arrives in Baku for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night bout against Nazim Sadykhov at the National Gymnastics Arena convinced that fighting in front of more than 10,000 partisan fans will weigh far heavier on his opponent than on him.

Sadykhov enters the fight under scrutiny after suffering the first defeat of his UFC career — a second-round knockout to Fares Ziam in 2025 — having previously gone unbeaten across five promotional appearances and collected three Fight of the Night bonuses. Camilo believes that record of vulnerability, combined with the weight of home expectations, gives him a clear tactical blueprint.

“I think any fighter coming off a loss already feels more pressure, especially when they’re fighting at home,” Camilo told MMA Fighting. “I believe he’s going to be under a lot of pressure. And from what I’ve seen in his fights, like when he fought Fares, he kind of falls apart as soon as his opponent starts mixing up the striking with takedowns. I think that’s the path to victory.”

Camilo draws on a previous away-day experience to steady his nerves. His victory over Dorobshokh Nabotov in South Korea in 2024 — the win that earned him his UFC contract — taught him to treat unfamiliar surroundings as a focusing tool rather than a distraction. The 25-year-old Las Vegas-based lightweight says Azerbaijan has already felt surprisingly familiar.

“The energy here is second to none,” Camilo said. “When you’re competing somewhere like this, you have to step outside your usual world and focus entirely on the fight. It takes you out of your comfort zone, you know? I really enjoy that. The weather here is actually pretty similar to Brazil, hot and humid, so I felt right at home as soon as I arrived.”

Camilo secured his first octagon victory in November 2025, outpointing Slava Borshchev by decision despite picking up an injury during the contest. He describes Sadykhov as “exactly the kind of matchup I want” and is not hiding his intentions for fight night.

“He’s a good opponent, a good striker, so it’s going to be a great fight,” Camilo said. “We’re going to throw down, man.”

A win, he believes, would open significant doors in the lightweight division, though he is careful not to look past the task in front of him. “I have to beat this guy first,” he said.

The journey to Baku carries extra meaning for the Brazilian. Just a year before his UFC debut, Camilo was working as a rideshare driver in the United States, training and fighting while waiting for the call that would change his career. Now competing on an international stage he dreamed of as a teenager growing up in Acre, he says gratitude is the emotion that defines the experience.

“The feeling I have being here, brother, is gratitude,” Camilo said. “Ever since the first time I set foot here, that’s been it.”