Once upon a time, UFC 259 welterweight Jake Matthews was the youngest fighter on the UFC roster. A fresh faced rookie, having gone through The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, a season where his native Australia did not fare particularly well.
Still, Matthews was given a shot in the UFC, entering the promotion proper in 2014 and posting a 4-1 record through his first five fights. Now, just shy of seven years later, the 26-year old Matthews is an octagon veteran, entering his fifteenth UFC bout. Opposite him at UFC 259, the undefeated Sean Brady, with a fifth of the experience of Matthews inside the octagon despite being two years his elder.
Matthews put his hand speed on display early, but it was Brady connecting clean first in their UFC 259 match-up. The pair circled, Brady staying outside, but eating a well-placed body shot from the Australian. Brady fired an outside leg kick, and was getting his combinations going, while Matthews continued to target the body. Matthews would then fire a right over the top, knocking Brady down — but it was Brady who wound up on top as Matthews tried to secure a guillotine. Brady had plenty of recovery and top time, which may have actually secured him the round.
In the second, after some back-and-forth on the feet, Brady shot for and landed the takedown. He quickly moved into half-guard, then worked to take the back, with little in the way of space to work as Matthews was sitting against the fence. Brady worked to secure a guillotine from the top, and while it wasn’t there, Matthews was too busy defending it to find time to escape.
Early in the third, Brady dropped Matthews to a knee with a left. When the fight went to the ground, Brady was again in his wheelhouse. Matthews held onto Brady’s leg out of desperation, but that was allowing Brady to work over the body. Matthews worked his way back to the fence, but wound up with Brady in half-mount, peppering him with shots. Brady managed to move into position for an arm-triangle choke, forcing Matthews to tap with more than a minute left in the final round.
PHILLY TOUGH.
🔔 @SeanBradyMMA locks in the RD 3 sub!
[ LIVE on @UFCFightPass, ESPN2, #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/vF2Eq8M1nO
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2021
The victory by Brady snapped a three-fight win streak for Matthews. Brady, meanwhile, improved to a very impressive 14-0.
Official Result: Sean Brady def. Jake Matthews by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 3:28
