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While Jake Matthews has not yet turned the corner from
prospect to contender in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, time appears to still be on his
side.
The 27-year-old Australian welterweight finds himself on the
rebound ahead of his confrontation with
Sanford MMA’s Andre Fialho on the
UFC 275 undercard this Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in
Kallang, Singapore. Matthews has pieced together six wins across
his past eight outings. However, he has not fought since he
submitted to an arm-triangle choke from the undefeated Sean Brady
in the third round of their UFC 259 pairing on March 6, 2021.
As Matthews prepares for his first assignment in nearly 500 days,
here are five things you might not know about him:
1. He was something of a prodigy.
Matthews made his professional mixed martial arts debut as a
wet-behind-the-ears 18-year-old when he shut down Sam Fiamatai with
punches in the second round of their Sept. 15, 2012 encounter under
the Shamrock Events banner in Dandedong, Australia. He went on to
post an 8-0 record prior to turning 20.
2. Reality was not kind to him.
“The Celtic Kid” was cast on “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” in
2013, only to be undercut by an unusually difficult draw. Matthews
was eliminated when he lost a unanimous decision to
Tristar Gym’s Olivier Aubin-Mercier, an eventual finalist, in
the qualifying round.
3. He makes his living on the mat.
Matthews hold the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under
Carlos Vieira and does what he can to maximize those skills inside
the cage. He has delivered seven of his 17 career victories by
submission, having victimized Shinsho Anzai, Johnny Case, Vagner
Rocha and Dashon Johnson since he became a full-time member of the
UFC roster a little less than eight years ago.
4. His skills have provided him with supplemental income.
“The Ultimate Fighter Nations” alum has been on the winning side of
a “Fight of the Night” in the UFC on two occasions, pocketing a
total of $100,000 in bonuses. Matthews submitted the aforementioned
Case with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC Fight
Night 85 pairing on March 19, 2016 and took a unanimous decision
from Jingliang Li in their UFC 221 clash on Feb. 10, 2018.
5. He stacks up favorably with his countrymen.
Matthews has made more appearances (15) in the UFC than any other
Australian fighter in history. He ranks ahead of Alexander
Volkanovski (11), Tai Tuivasa (11), Tyson Pedro (seven),
Jessica-Rose Clark (seven) and Jimmy Crute (seven). Matthews has
the second-most wins among Aussies behind only Volkanovski’s 11.