Summary
Approaching his return to the world's biggest MMA event after the traumatic defeat to Christian Leroy Duncan last year, Marco Tulio Matuto has the opportunity to recover against one of the most experienced names outside the middleweight rankings, Roman Kopylov . Motivated to stand out on a card with only two representatives from Brazilian soil, the Chute Boxe Diego Lima member had an exclusive chat with SUPER LUTAS about various topics, from a serious injury to Norma Dumont 's defeat to Joselyne Edwards.
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Marco Tulio Matuto underwent skull surgery after his last fight.
Marco Tulio was defeated by Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Vegas 111. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
The defeat against Duncan, his first loss in over ten fights, did more than just halt Matuto's rise. After the fight, the fighter discovered he had suffered a skull fracture, a result of the first blow absorbed in the bout, still in the first round. Because of this, he needed to undergo surgery at the end of 2025. Despite the initial shock, he had the patience to recover in the best way possible.
“I suffered a skull fracture from the first blow. Despite suffering a very serious trauma, as I broke a bone in my forehead after the elbow strike, I managed to stay in the fight. I had surgery in which they removed skin from the top of my head to resolve the problem. I could have waited to resolve it with another procedure, but there was a risk of developing other complications, so I opted for surgery, which would help me return as quickly as possible,” said the fighter, who now has a scar on the left side of his head.
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Experienced opponent
Paulo Borrachinha in victory over Roman Kopylov . Photo: Reproduction/UFC News
Matuto's opponent offers excellent opportunities for the Minas Gerais native to bounce back. Despite not being ranked at the moment and coming off two consecutive losses, Roman Kopylov has already had the opportunity to share the octagon against relevant names, such as Anthony Hernandez and Paulo Borrachinha . Furthermore, this will also be the Brazilian's first performance under the new performance bonus system, which makes the desire for a knockout even greater.
“The fight that happened is in the past. Now it’s a new fight. It’s a fight that can propel me forward, which is my goal. To reach the top 15, then the top 10, and become champion. I brought Gustavo, a very tall guy, to train with me and simulate Kopylov’s game. We did several technical training sessions for him, and now we have the whole puzzle ready,” he stated.
Norma Dumont's defeat
Marco Tulio and Norma Dumont . Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
In addition to discussing her upcoming fight, Matuto also addressed the controversy surrounding Norma Dumont 's loss to Joselyne Edwards at UFC Vegas 116. Despite being outjumped by all three judges, the Brazilian fighter was surprised by the result, believing she had been superior in the fight. Many Brazilian fans also paid attention to the instructions from her corner, which informed her during the bout that she had the advantage.
“It was a very close fight, it’s even difficult to say anything. The first round was balanced, but I thought the second one favored Norma. It comes down to the judges’ interpretation. We really thought we had won the first and second rounds, and that may have been decisive for the result. There was one judge who saw all three rounds in favor of Edwards, which was absurd. But Diego (Lima)’s instruction was that she had won the second round and the first had been close,” explained Matuto, who was also part of his teammate’s corner.
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