​Lucas
Fernando likely wouldn’t have debuted in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship if not for his wife.
Fernando (14-3) made his promotional debut against Rafael
Tobias at UFC
330. He put on a striking clinic before dropping Tobias with a
knee to the body and finishing him with vicious follow-up shots in
the third round.Lucas Fernando rebounded from DWCS and LFA losses to earn his
UFC opportunity
Fernando called his wife during the post-fight press conference and
said he couldn’t wait to return to her in Brazil after being in the
U.S. for a month. He also credited his wife for talking him out of
quitting mixed martial arts after his loss on
Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. While Fernando was
skeptical about fully committing to the sport after his defeat, his
wife convinced him to pursue his dream of a UFC career.
“My wife, I miss her a lot,” Fernando said at the post-fight
presser. “I’ve been in the United States for a month training, so I
can’t wait to go home… After the loss in Contender, I called her up
and said, ‘You know, maybe this is not for me. I should look for
something else. Or maybe shouldn’t dedicate to this 100%. She said
no. She believed in me, she supported me, she supported this dream
of mine to be in the UFC.”
Fernando suffered a decision loss against Cesar
Almeida at DWCS in 2023, which was followed by another defeat
in the
Legacy Fighting Alliance. He then rebounded with four
consecutive wins that saw him win and defend the LFA light
heavyweight title twice to earn another shot at the UFC.#UFC330’s
Lucas
Fernando admits his wife talked him out of walking away from
MMA after his failed DWCS loss:”She believed in me, she supported me, and she’s always supported
this dream of being in the UFC.” pic.twitter.com/jkcP6Wnzpk— MMA
Fighting (@MMAFighting)
August 16, 2026