Finishing artist Jeremiah Wells (11-2-1) took on Matthew Semelsberger (11-4) at UFC Vegas 71 in a fight which was incredibly chaotic at times.
Renzo Gracie student Wells entered the bout undefeated in three UFC fights, finishing each of his opponents in under six minutes. Meanwhile, ‘Semi the Jedi’ put together a respectable UFC run which saw him amass a 5-2 record heading into the fight with Wells. Semelsberger also is one of two fighters in UFC history who has two sub-twenty second knockouts, sharing that record with Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
Wells and Semelsberger collided in the center of the cage and started swinging. Wells quickly ate a brutal hook that dropped him and almost put him out cold. However, he came back from the bring of unconsciousness to wrestle up and try to get in on a takedown. Semelsberger defended it and held Wells in the clinch, giving Wells some time to recover. Suddenly Wells was able to spin Semelsberger and use that momentum to throw Matthew on his back.
Wells got on top in full guard and looked to drop down ground strikes. Jeremiah had some success but Semelsberger got back to his feet finally with ninety seconds left in the round, albeit stuck in the clinch. Wells unloaded with a big combo and then shot in on a double leg, which he completed with ease. From top position Wells was able to rain down hammerfists until the end of the round.
In the second, again at the start of the round Wells ate a big right hand from Semelsberger and fell to his back. Wells was able to get back up from underneath his foe but he stayed on the back foot, only unloading with big combos sometimes. Semelsberger took a more measured approach to stalking his foe. Two minutes into the round Wells landed another highly explosive takedown and got on top in full guard. Wells was unable to land as many ground strikes in the second round as the first, but he maintained top control for a full three minutes until the end of the round.
The start of the third round once again saw a wild trade in the center of the cage, which Wells followed up with a flying knee. Wells then shot for a takedown, was able to lift up, and slam down Semelsberger after Semelsberger failed a switch attempt. Wells got on top in a strong half guard position which was only interrupted when Semelsberger went for a heel hook. He failed though and Wells was able to resume top control in half guard.
Semelsberger was able to get up around the halfway point of the round but fell back to his back when trying for an ill-advised Kimura which he failed to use effectively. Semelsberger got into full guard and tried for a triangle choke but Wells pulled out and got on top in side control instead. When Semelsberger stood up Wells stayed on him like white on rice and dragged him back to the ground right before the final buzzer sounded.
When the scorecards were read out there was only a slight worry, as Wells dominated much of the fight but did get knocked down in two of the rounds. Joe Martinez announced the scorecards and it was a split decision, with all three judges having different scores as one gave when Semelsberger the decision, one gave Wells two rounds, and the final judge gave Wells all three rounds, earning him the victory.
Still undefeated in the UFC!@JeremiahWellsm2 moves to 4-0 in the Octagon with a split decision over Semelsberger at #UFCVegas71! pic.twitter.com/1xxEGY1nOL
— UFC (@ufc) April 22, 2023
Official Result: Jeremiah Wells def. Matthew Semelsberger by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
