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.â€

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

Chidi
Njokuani stood his ground against the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Commission.

Njokuani scored an upset win over Joel
Alvarez via unanimous decision at UFC
330. “Chidi Bang Bang†subsequently explained why he had to
step on the scales twice at the official weigh-ins before the
fight.

Chidi Njokuani says faulty scale reading led to second UFC 330
weigh-in

Njokuani initially weighed in half a pound over the non-title
171-pound limit, before returning shortly after to successfully
make weight behind the privacy screen. He blames the confusion on
athletic commission officials.

Njokuani claims he had made weight with his underwear on backstage
on the digital scales. When he missed weight on the official scale,
the commission asked him to cut the remaining weight. However, he
says he refused to cut weight any further, even jokingly
threatening the official in charge of the scales.

“They make us weigh in on the digital scale in the back first,â€
Njokuani said at the post-fight press conference. “They
double-check, make sure you're on weight before you go out there… I
weighed in on the scale in the back with my underwear on and I was
on weight. So, they were like, ‘Alright, go out there and weigh
yourself.' And then I was a pound heavy. That's why I was looking
at the commission; I didn't know what was going on. They’re like,
‘You’re going to have to cut,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not going to cut
anything.’ I’m going to cut this motherf*cker if he doesn’t get his
sh*t together. They tried it again, put the scale on the right
weight and then I stepped on and it worked out.â€

With his win over Alvarez, Njokuani snapped a two-fight skid and
improved his record to 26-12.

Din
Thomas is done cornering fighters after Gillian
Robertson's recent defeat.

Thomas was in Robertson's corner as she challenged Mackenzie
Dern for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight title at UFC
330 in Philadelphia. Robertson had no answer for Dern on the
mat and in the stand-up, making for a lackluster performance and a
one-sided title retention for the champ.

Din Thomas on no longer cornering fighters after UFC 330: ‘It's
not fair to them'

Thomas subsequently announced his retirement from cornering during
the UFC 330 post-show. The former UFC fighter explained that he
wanted to see Robertson through as far as she could reach and
believes the failed title bid might have been the height of success
that Robertson can achieve in the sport.

While Thomas will continue to help fighters, he doesn't want to
operate as a cornerman, as it takes a lot of commitment.

“I told myself I would continue to do this until I took Gillian as
far as she could go,†Thomas said. “I think that might be as far as
she can go and I am officially retiring from cornering fighters
tonight. I'm doing the Matt Serra,
I'm no longer cornering fighters… I'll still work with guys. I just
don't want to go down the road. It's a lot of work; it's a lot of
stress. You got to be there all week. I don't cut weight with them;
it's not fair to them. They need somebody who's going to put in
that type of work in with them.â€

Thomas (26-9) was a semifinalist in “The Ultimate Fighter†in 2006
and went on to have three short stints in the UFC. He retired from
fighting in 2013 and has been working as an analyst with the UFC
for the past few years.

Din Thomas
announced that he is retiring from cornering fighters

📺 @paramountplus
pic.twitter.com/zdkW27eVxk

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 16, 2026