Was UFC fighter Matt Schnell on MTV show Caged?
UFC flyweight Matt Schnell was one of the four mixed martial artists to appear on Caged - a reality show that aired on MTV in 2012. The show documented the lives of young MMA fighters from Minden, a small town in Louisiana.
Schnell featured on all ten episodes of Caged, along with Tony Kelley, Daniel Payne, and Wes Branch. Schnell and Kelley were the only two fighters from the show who went on to compete in MMA professionally.
Making his MMA debut in 2012 at Legacy FC, Schnell became the promotion's flyweight champion four years later, which led to him receiving a UFC contract. 'Danger' fought Rob Font on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale in a losing effort, and lost to Hector Sandoval in his second UFC fight.
Matt Schnell came back strong with a string of four successive wins which propelled him into the flyweight divisional rankings. As of now, he is currently a No. 9 ranked flyweight in the UFC.
Matt Schnell wins at UFC Fight Island 8
Matt Schnell defeated Tyson Nam at UFC Fight Island 8 via split decision. Coming off a loss to Alexandre Pantoja, 'Danger' got the better of Nam in a closely-contested bout (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Nam, best known for his striking accuracy with 12 knockout wins under his belt, is considered one of the most powerful punchers in the flyweight division. The 37-year-old veteran was coming off two huge knockout wins over Zarrukh Adashev and Jerome Rivera.
Schnell was required to use his grappling deftly, and the Louisiana native did precisely that to earn a hard-fought victory.
With a win over Nam, Matt Schnell has now cemented his place in the top-ten rankings of the 125-pound weight class and would be aiming to become one of the division's elite fighters with a potential win over a top-five contender.