Matt Schnell came closer than anyone to losing his fight against Sumudaerji in UFC Long Island.
Schnell defeated Sumudaerji this Saturday in the second round of the “Fight of the Year”. Schnell was hurt several times, but he managed to weather the storm and turn the tables, putting Sumudaerji to sleep with a triangle choke. Schnell was not the only one who faced serious danger. Sumudaerji reportedly broke his nose during the first round.
” I feel great. A little bit beat up but nothing that hasn’t been dealt with before,” Schnell said on The MMA Hour . “This shiner that I’ve got, I actually gave myself. After the fight I felt good. It looked like I had a tough spar, I had obviously been in a fight. Later that night I went to the bathroom and blew my nose. So he did crush my nose. But I did not realize that my nose was crumpled up. I was lucky I didn’t blow my nostrils in between rounds. Otherwise, I might have TKO’ed .”
.
Fortunately, Schnell did not do that and instead authored one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history in a bout that received immediate praise as an all-time great flyweight affair. The fight earned Schnell his second “Fight of the Night” in as many bouts, and also a promise from UFC President Dana White that he would “write him another” bonus check as well. Schnell said he hasn’t received any of his bonus money yet, but “Danger” does not doubt it’s coming.
” We’ll know when it comes,” Schnell stated. “Those bonuses typically take a while to hit, and when it does, hopefully it’s more than $50,000. But Dana has always been a man of his word with regards to me, and I don’t expect anything different, so I’m sure I’ll get a little extra. So I’m happy to come out the victor, happy to come out with the bonus, and overall just very grateful.”
Schnell certainly deserves the extra cash. Sumudaerji stunned him several times on his feet, and at one point, live betting had him as low as a +3000 underdog, implying only a 3. 2 percent chance of winning. He even said that he couldn’t recall certain parts of the second round. A few days later, however, he admitted to Daniel Cormier that he doesn’t still remember all of it.
“Bits of bits and pieces” Schnell replied when asked about his memories of getting hurt. “I’ve watched it back now, so after you’ve watched it back a couple times, it seems like you can piece it back in your memory, or that’s how it’s always seemed to me. But yeah, definitely in there I wasn’t just being funny when DC was showing me. I didn’t remember getting elbowed in that moment. That’s the God’s honest truth.”
Schnell was stopped by the win. Schnell lost to Rogerio Bontorin in a fight that was split into two. The bout was eventually canceled due to Bontorin’s failed drug testing. It keeps Schnell firmly in the top-10 of the UFC flyweight rankings. Schnell was able to defeat a top-ranked flyweight, which is perhaps the most important thing.
“I’ve been in some scraps, and it seems like every time I get into these moments, I kind of come up short or something,” he said. “I didn’t really understand that, so it’s good to come out and be the victor. I think that typically, if I can keep my cool, if I can keep my feet underneath me — make no mistake, obviously I was wobbling around out there, but we had worked on things that I felt like came into play and that’s why I felt like I was able to stay in a decent position and continue to fight on.”
Schnell could have won the fight with such a thrilling win. He’s calling for a New York trip against MMA Fighting’s No. 10-ranked flyweight Matheus Nicolau.
” I love Houston and would love to return to Texas. So, Schnell stated, “I just thought, shoot your shot.” “Madison Square Garden is the mecca. I’m in this not only to win fights, I want to make money, but I’m here for the experience. I’ve seen the world fighting. I’ve been everywhere doing this and it’s been a great time, but let’s get another feather in the cap. Why not Madison Square Garden?”
