Jake Matthews, a 29-year-old Australian welterweight contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), still remains in a precarious position between contention and relevance in his division. He plans to enhance his 12-6 record in UFC when he has a face-off with the unbeaten Michael Morales at the UFC Fight Night 232 co-headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Matthews’ recent journey in UFC has been fluctuating, as he has been alternating wins and losses in each of his past four matches. His most recent appearance was at UFC 291 when he defeated Darrius Flowers with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their July 29 pairing.
Matthews is currently making the final preparations for his upcoming match against Morales at 170 pounds. An overview of some of his previous rivalries will give a better understanding of the pathway that has shaped his career to this point. Among them was his promotional debut against Dashon Johnson. Matthews dominated the game impressively from start to finish and won P2-0, which made a significant impression even in his initial stages. This match took place on June 28, 2014, at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, where he took down the two-division Xplode Fight Series champion with a triangle choke in the third round.
Another remarkable rivalry was against Kevin Lee, where Matthews lost to Lee’s first-round punches at “The Ultimate Fighter 23” finale. The match was held on July 8, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and it ended with Matthews being sent back for just the second time in his career.
Finally, Matthews leaned on his versatile fighting skills and claimed a unanimous decision over Jingliang Li during a three-round UFC 221 welterweight showcase. This occurred on Feb. 10, 2018, and it offered a thrilling performance. He dropped Li with a left hand in the first round and used ground-and-pound techniques while hunting for a choke. Matthews then showed exemplary composure and switched gears in the third edition, chopping down Li with a right cross and polishing with a takedown. This impressive fight included a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus for both fights.