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