Newark, NJ — Australian welterweight Jake Matthews couldn’t find the finish at UFC 302 on Saturday, but he did find his way back to the win column.
That came care of his preliminary card bout with “The Fresh Prince” Phil Rowe. The only problem is that Matthews (20-7), now with the UFC for a decade after joining as a 19-year old in 2014, really doesn’t like going to the judges.
“I hate winning by decision. It’s good, you know what I mean? At the end of the day, you got a family and you got to put food on the table, and it’s still a win on the board. But to me, this is war,” explained Matthews, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout. “I’ve completely changed my mindset to this being a sport with martial artists. Martial arts is a religion, what we do is war. It’s battle. Winning by points, it means nothing to me. Realistically, in the real world, I put a choke on I’m not letting go until there’s no life left in you. If I knock you out, same deal.”
“Winning by decision it’s not the best, but we adapted, pushed through and got the win.”
Next up for Matthews could be a fight at home in Australia. With the UFC headed to Perth in August for UFC 305, it appears to be the perfect landing spot for “The Celtic Kid.”
“Yeah look I mean I wasn’t planning on it, but with JDM [Jack Della Maddalena] out of the picture for the time being— hopefully he heals up quickly and gets back in there— but yeah there might be a need for a decent welterweight bout on that card now. So I would absolutely consider it.”
Neil Magny is one name that appeals to Matthews. “I know he’s paired up with [Michael] Morales, but depending on how that fight goes, we’ll see.” And if not Magny, “somewhere around that kind of ranking,” he added.
With Magny vs. Morales not officially announced (there were rumors next month), maybe there’s hope.
Watch the full UFC 302 post-fight press conference with Jake Matthews above.
