Australian Jake Matthews will likely miss September’s UFC 293 in Sydney in favor of a late-July match-up in Salt Lake City.
Thursday evening, UFC officials announced on social media that Matthews (18-6) will face Miguel Baeza (10-3) in a welterweight fight as part of UFC 291, which takes place on July 30, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The fight finds both athletes looking to get back in the win column, though Baeza in particular finds himself in a precarious position. The 2019 Contender Series alum, who started his UFC career by posting a 3-0 record that included a win over fan favorite Matt “The Immortal” Brown, has since dropped three straight contests.
Most recently, Baeza found himself finished by Andre Fialho. That puts him in must-win territory heading into the fight with Matthews.
Jake Matthews is 4-2 in his last six fights, but 1-2 in his past three, with a win over the aforementioned Fialho sandwiched between losses to Sean Brady and Matthew Semelsberger.
Once the UFC’s youngest athlete, Matthews has now been with the company just under a decade, but is still just 28-years old.
UFC 291 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 30, 2023. Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier meet for the second time in the main event, with the “BMF” championship (that’s baddest motherf*cker, for those unaware) on the line in the fight. The following match-ups have been reported for the card thus far:
- Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje — “BMF” title fight
- Jan Błachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
- Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
- Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira
- Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
- Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
- Matthew Semelsberger vs. Yohan Lainesse
- Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
- C.J. Vergara vs. Vinicius Salvador
- Trevin Giles vs. Gabriel Bonfim
- Joanne Wood vs. Priscila Cachoeira
- Jake Matthews vs. Miguel Baeza
