TUF Nations alum Jake Matthews was in action at UFC Auckland on Saturday, taking on the always game Emil Weber Meek. Matthews entered the affair with a solid octagon record of 4-1 across his last five bouts. Meek, meanwhile, had lost his last two bouts — and perhaps more crucially, had not competed inside the confines of the UFC cage since 2018.

A host of injuries had kept the Norwegian out since then, but that was set to change in Auckland.

Emil Weber Meek started the fight with a pair of leg kicks before getting driven to the ground by Jake Matthews. Matthews worked from full guard for a bit before Meek stood up against the talented wrestler. The fighters circled, then Matthews crushed Meek with an uppercut that lifted him off his feet. Matthews followed him to the canvas and went from half guard to full guard, riding out the round in top position while sprinkling in some ground and pound.

HE LIFTED HIM OFF HIS FEET! 😱 #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/SbBHXkPPQX

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2020

Matthews started the second round with a right hand then a knee down the middle. He then drove Meek down had full guard. Meek tried to sweep, but ended up giving Matthews his back. Matthews established both hooks and wanted the choke. However, he didn’t have much room to work with as both fighters were against the fence. Meek spun out and landed two big knees on Matthews and all hell broke loose. A spinning elbow connected for Matthews and a wild exchange of hooks was ended by another Matthews takedown. Before the end of the round, Meek stood up and landed another big knee.

NON-STOP! 💪

These two are throwing EVERYTHING they have! #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/2MhCbMxOFC

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2020

Meek landed a leg kick to start the final round and Matthews checked the second. A left hook connected for Matthews, who had his back to the cage. After some strikes on both sides, Matthews drove in for a takedown, but Meek sprawled effectively. He then landed an uppercut on Matthews followed by a leg kick. Meek kept the pressure on and stuffed another takedown. Meek landed more strikes and Matthews tried a single leg takedown. Meek stuffed it again. Both men landed right hands but it was Meek who was dominating the final stanza of the fight. Meek tried a flying knee but Matthews caught it and brought Meek down right before the end of the round. Meek landed a few hammerfists as time expired.

Jake Matthews def. Emil Weber Meek by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

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With the UFC Auckland main event in place — that would be Dan Hooker vs. Paul Felder, a battle of ranked lightweights — three more fights have been announced for the card.

On Wednesday, UFC officials announced Ben Sosoli vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Jake Matthews vs. Emil Weber Meek, and Tyson Pedro vs. Vinicius Moreira. Each bout features a representative of nearby Australia, with Sosoli, Matthews, and Pedro all hailing from the nation.

We're not done yet! Enter the Combat Wombat! @BenSosoli faces Rogerio de Lima at #UFCAuckland 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/1mQKs26bx6

— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) November 27, 2019

Ben Sosli (7-2, 2 NC), with the absolutely brilliant nickname ‘The Combat Wombat,’ is a veteran of both The Ultimate Fighter 28 and Dana White’s Contender Series. He was last seen tangoing with Greg Hardy and his inhaler, in a fight that ended in a no contest at UFC Boston. He will go up against Brazil’s Marcos Rogerio de Lima (9-4). Rogerio de Lima, a veteran of TUF Brazil 3, spent some time at light heavyweight, but is 1-1 since returning to heavyweight in 2018. He fell to Stefan Struve in his last outing.

Jake Matthews (15-4) is another TUF veteran, in this case on the Nations: Canada vs. Australia edition. At 4-1 in his last five bouts, he’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Rostem Akman at UFC 243. Meek (9–4, 1NC), meanwhile, will be looking to snap a two-fight skid.

Finally, Tyson Pedro (7-3) will look to get back in the win column after suffering a TKO loss against Shogun Rua last December. With over a year away, he’ll return against Brazil’s Vinicius Moreira (9-4), who has lost three straight.

UFC Auckland will take place February 23 (or February 22 in North America) at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

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In welterweight action at UFC Hamburg on Saturday, Norway’s Emil Weber Meek clashed with Poland’s Bartosz Fabiniski in a battle of European powers. Fabinski entered the night on an impressive streak of six consecutive wins, including his first two UFC bouts. Meek, meanwhile, was looking to bounce back from a loss to Kamaru Usman in January.

Meek and Fabinski got off with a bang, with Meek coming charging out, launcing a flying knee and the two clashing! Meek connected with a hook, but after that big charge, Fabinski took him down and put him on his back. Fabinski postured up, and looked to land some heavy ground strikes. Meek was pressed up against the cage, and managed to move to a crouching position, looking to explode out. He had to watch the knee, however, and kept himself grounded, which allowed Fabinski to get back in control.

Round two saw Meek taken to the ground again. He seemed to look to the ref for help, but Fabinski was clearly working to improve position. When they did go back to the feet, they didn’t stay there long. Meek was soon taken down yet again, and Fabinski once more worked from guard.

In the third round, it was clear Emil Meek needed a finish. He began connecting, first with an overhand right, and soon had Fabinski on his heels. Once, twice, Meek trapped Fabinski and began lighting him up. Fabinski finally changed levels, looking for a takedown. The ref separated them, however, but Fabinski then used a kimura grip to get the fight down. The fight would end there; Fabinski was gassed, but had done enough to stave off Meek in the final frame.

Bartosz Fabinski def. Emil Meek by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Returning to the octagon for the second time after getting the decision victory in his UFC debut, Emil Meek had his work cut out for him. He found himself in St. Louis standing across from NCAA wrestler and UFC veteran/TUF champ Kamaru Usman. Usman entered the night undefeated at 5-0 in UFC coming off of his win at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs Branch, where he knocked out Sérgio Moraes in the opening round.

Starting out, Usman landed a quick take down and found himself right in Meek’s guillotine; Usman escaped, ending up on top. Meek worked his way back up to his against the cage with Usman working strikes and looking for the take down. Usman finally got it done with a big slam on Meek. Meek scrambled back up to a knee with Usman sticking close to him. After a failed choke Usman ended up on top and started dropping punches and elbows that left Meek bloodied to end the round.

In the second, Meek came out throwing kicks to keep the wrestler at distance, with Usman working the jab. Usman timed a take down that wasn’t successful but saw Meek’s back pressed to the cage. Usman kept working and got another slam take down for the effort. Again Meek scrambled back up to the cage, only to be dragged down, pop back up and be taken to the ground again with Usman on top. Meek was looking for a Kimura from the bottom. Usman escaped that, and both fighters unloaded. In the end Usman was still on top. The results of the exchange and additional elbows from Usman to end the round left Meek bloodied as he returned to his corner.

To start round three, Meek came out with kicks, just like the previous round. One strayed and caught Usman in the groin causing a brief stoppage in the action. Once resumed, both fighters were throwing until Usman caught Meek and drove him to the ground for more ground and pound. Meek briefly escaped to his feet but again Usman was there to drag him back down. Usman continued to grind out Meek on the ground. Meek was able to explode out to his feet briefly again, only for Usman to slam him back down to end the round. With the final bell sounded, the one-sided decision went to Usman.

Kamaru Usman def. Emil Meek by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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