Fernando Credits Wife After Nearly Quitting MMA

Lucas Fernando stopped Rafael Tobias in the third round at UFC 330, but the Brazilian heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight almost walked away from the sport entirely two years ago.

Fernando landed a body knee that crumpled Tobias before finishing with ground strikes in his promotional debut, per Sherdog. The victory capped a four-fight winning streak that included two LFA title defenses after consecutive losses in 2023 and 2024.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC Contender Series on Ticketmaster →

Wife Convinced Fernando To Keep Fighting After DWCS Loss

Fernando lost a decision to Cesar Almeida on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023, then dropped another fight in the Legacy Fighting Alliance. He told reporters at the post-fight press conference that his wife stopped him from abandoning the sport during that stretch.

"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%," Fernando said, according to MMA Fighting. "She said no. She believed in me, she supported me, she supported this dream of mine to be in the UFC."

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC Contender Series on Ticketmaster →

Fernando mentioned he spent a month in the United States preparing for his debut and was eager to return home to Brazil. He now holds a 14-3 professional record.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Lucas Fernando nearly quit MMA before breakthrough UFC 330 victory