‘Hope MMA explodes in India’, message from UFC flyweight Matt Schnell to Indian fans
Flyweight fighter Matt Schnell will face Steve Erceg in the opening bout of UFC Vegas 87 Main Card.
New Delhi: Flyweight fighter Matt Schnell is set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event headlined by the fight between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev on Saturday at the UFC Apex arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.
Schnell is one of the veterans in the UFC Flyweight division and ahead of his upcoming fight against Steve Erceg in the opening fight of the UFC Vegas 82 Main Card, he expressed his love for the Indian fan community and wished for MMA to become truly successful in India. .
“I’m really flattered. I would like to say to all my Indian fans, please contact me. Come and comment on my stuff. I’ll talk back. I appreciate you all. I hope MMA explodes in India. And it would be such a wonderful thing too. I know there are some Indian guys who are already making some noise. And I look forward to seeing more. I love it,” said Matt Schnell in an exclusive conversation with India.com.
Schnell returns to the cage for the first time since December 2022. He was supposed to fight Erceg in November last year, but unfortunately had to withdraw due to an infection in his lower back. During his conversation with India.com, he also spoke about his release from the cage and his back infection.
“I think it (fight layoffs) can affect people. I did train hard. I have been training hard ever since. It’s not like I was waiting on the couch. I’ve been trying to hone my craft and sharpen the blade. The last fight, I can’t remember the exact date but we were close and I got an infection in my lower back,” Schnell told India.com.
“It was just the result of cage wrestling, which is something we do all the time. Normally with that kind of thing you get a little scrape, it heals. I’ve been fighting for fifteen years now. This is my first time dealing with something like this. It just progressed. It became infected with the way it was. It progressed very quickly and it was wild. Yes, one day it was just a little, the next day it was MRSA. I have prepared everything. I did the whole camp. I was ready to go. And that’s exactly how it went. That’s how it worked out,” he added.
This will be Schnell’s 10th fight in the UFC Flyweight division and the fighter is loved by fight fans around the world for his action-packed and entertaining fights. Fans should expect a similar fight as Schnell prepares to take on Erceg in an attempt to get back into the win column and move up the rankings.