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Rob Font Is Ready For Anything And Everything
Despite A Late Opponent Change, Rob Font Is Keen On Getting His Hand Raised For A Second Time In A Row At UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song
As Rob Font approaches his 30th professional fight, the Massachusetts-native feels rather confident he has seen it all. The 37-year-old, who broke through in the UFC in July 2014, has gone through plenty himself, and the lowkey Font more or less kept that same demeanor through it all.
So, when he got the call that Dominick Cruz was out of their scheduled matchup in Seattle, and the undefeated Jean Matsumoto was stepping up in his place, nothing really changed for Font.
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“This is nothing new to me,” Font told UFC.com. “I've been dealing with stuff like this since the local scene… I don't just say it to say it. I honestly don't believe I'm fighting until we're walking out. I've known guys up and leave the arena on local shows the day of the fight. I know guys roll their ankles warming up. I really don't believe I'm fighting until we're walking, so, in the back of my mind, I'm not too focused on the opponent.”
For Font, what’s more important is getting another win under his belt. His last effort came against Kyler Phillips and, by all accounts, he had his back against the wall. He lost four of his last five ahead of that bout, and Phillips was in a position to break into the Top 10 himself if he could best the veteran. Phillips got off to a quick start, but Font rallied in the second and third rounds to get his hand raised.
After the fight, Font said UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby pulled his team aside and mentioned the possibility of Font fighting Cruz. The potential matchup had Font “buzzing” all the way until it fell apart after Cruz dislocated his shoulder and announced his retirement.
“(My) first thought was, ‘All right, I hope (Cruz) just makes it through camp,’” Font said. “I felt like I almost jinxed myself. I think I should’ve never said it, and unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder injury, and he pulled out and had to retire. But my hat's off to him. Great career. I'm sure he'll be doing a lot more bigger things and on the broadcast team, and whatever he wants to do, I'm pretty sure he's going to kill it.”
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It belies human nature to not feel a little disappointment going from fighting a man roundly considered as the greatest bantamweight of all-time to an up-and-comer looking to make a name off your own, but Font maintains he is keen on thwarting another prospect.
He has nothing but good things to say about Matsumoto, who picked up two wins in his first two trips to the Octagon in 2024. The 25-year-old Brazilian has shown off a good skillset so far, collecting six submissions and three knockouts on his way to 16 wins in as many fights.
And while there isn’t as much name value to this matchup for Font, he is approaching it with as much motivation and determination as before.
“There is definitely not much to gain from this fight as far as the rankings and stuff like that, but neither was the Dominick Cruz fight,” Font said. “It wasn't like I beat Dominick Cruz and I'm up there. He (wasn’t) even ranked. It was more of just fighting another name, so I'm almost in a similar spot where I beat him and my rank is not going to move up and down that much. (It’s) just about the opportunity to go out there, do what I love and make some money at the same time.”
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Over the years, Font has maintained the sentiment that when he is having fun and in a flow, he is one of the best in the world. For the last half-decade or so, he has proved exactly that. He made a necessary change ahead of his fight with Phillips, moving to Canada to train at Tristar with Firas Zahabi. The change produced the desired results, and despite his veteran status, Font believes he is continuing to grow and evolve under the educated tutelage of Zahabi. One particular aspect he feels happy with is his development defensively, and he expects to utilize that as he looks to break down Matsumoto.
A win, no matter whom it comes against, is always a positive, and stacking wins is key to moving up the ladder. That’s how Font is looking at things as he approaches fight night on February 22, and from there, it’s all systems go.
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“I want to go on a tear,” Font said. “I want to get a couple more fights this year, so the plan is get in, get out as soon as possible. Try to get that finish, try to make that bonus and then get ready to jump in there with another legend or another Top 15, Top 10 type guy. Regardless of who it is, it's going to be another tough fight. The UFC, they're always going to match you up with a monster. I've just got to stay ready, and that's it for me.”
UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song took place live from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on February 22, 2025. 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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