Athletes
Jake Matthews | A New Era Starts Now
Ten-Year UFC Veteran Looks To Unleash Full Potential In 2025, Starting With An Impressive Victory At UFC 312
Time really flies when you realize Jake Matthews is entering his 11th year on the UFC roster. The most surprising part of the Aussie’s 20-fight UFC career is that he’s still just 30 years old, with possibly another decade of fights ahead of him.
“It was never a shock to me getting to the UFC, and it’s not a shock that I’ve been here for so long because I always believed it when I was younger,” Matthews said. “No matter how many people told me that it was impossible, that Aussies don’t make it to the UFC… I always believed it, even in high school. This June will be 11 years. I only just turned 30 but I’m an old man in the UFC. I have the youth on my side but the maturity from fighting for so long.”
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His time in the UFC hasn’t unfolded quite as smoothly as he may have envisioned when he debuted in 2014. While 13 wins and seven finishes are no small feat, Matthews is always striving for more. Yet, at the same time, he wouldn’t change a thing. Fighters typically reach their physical peak at his age, and with a decade of experience, Matthews now possesses the knowledge and maturity to take his game to the next level.
“Lots of ups and downs, a rollercoaster from winning fights, losing fights, beating guys I shouldn’t beat and losing to guys I shouldn’t lose against,” Matthews said. “Surgeries, injuries, having kids; my entire adult life has taken place competing in the UFC, learning on the job fighting the best guys in the world, while still trying to grow myself and learn and mature.
“Sitting here now, still being in the UFC, I wouldn’t change anything. From the wins to losses, I wouldn’t change anything in fear of not being where I am today. I’m very happy. Everything in life is great. All the goals I was seeking when I was younger, I’ve been hitting those goals.”
His next goal: fighting at least three times over the next 12 months and finding himself in the welterweight Top 10 by the end of 2025. Matthews says that it all comes down to his health and the opponents he’s offered, but if all falls into place, he can have a number by his name and be climbing the ranks sooner than later.
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As we often hear with UFC veterans, Matthews has shifted from the three sessions a day, seven days a week training regimen and has put an emphasis on his recovery and training smart to allow his body to keep up with these demands.
Matthews can take another step in the right direction if he gets an impressive win over Francisco Prado this Saturday at UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 in Sydney.
“He’s pretty robust,” Matthews said of Prado. “He seems to be able to take punishment and keep going. I think it’s going to make for a good match. I throw a lot of volume, a lot of strikes. I back my boxing always. I think it’s going to make for a great fight whether it hits the ground, and I can go for a submission, whether I can get a finish on the feet or if we need to fight three hard rounds.”
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Winning isn’t enough for Matthews, who feels he’s only scratched the surface of his skill set inside the Octagon, often relying on what’s needed in the moment to secure a win. He aims to fight as dynamically as he trains and put on a show for his home crowd in Australia to potentially launch one of the most important years of his career.
“My one and only goal for this fight is to show the full arsenal,” Matthews said. “Obviously, in my early days, there was a lot of grappling, submissions. The last couple years have been showcasing the boxing. But 70 percent of the tools I haven’t actually shown or used in a fight, so this fight, I don’t want to be conservative and resort to what I know. I want to show the entire arsenal. In training, that’s why I’m so good, because I’m so versatile.”
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on February 8, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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