EXCLUSIVE: ‘Black sheep’ Aussie journeyman dishes on controversial loss and why he hasn’t watched UFC in 12 months
He’s one of Australia’s most experienced fighters – but don’t expect Jake Matthews to know about anything happening in the UFC that doesn’t directly involve him.
“I’m the last person to ask about what’s going on in the UFC at the moment – I haven’t watched a fight for about 12 months,” he told Wide World of Sports this week ahead of his fight against fellow veteran Carlston Harris in Macau, China.
“I’m definitely a black sheep in that regard, not just in Aussie MMA but in general.”
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Jake Matthews during a fight in Perth last year. Getty
The 31-year-old has been competing for the biggest promotion in MMA for well over a decade, forging a career that very few can lay claim to.
Matthews (22-8) has competed on pay-per-view cards across the globe and has remained a constant fixture in the UFC’s welterweight division.
But unlike so many of his peers who live and breathe what’s happening in the fight game on social media and YouTube vlogs, the tough Melbourne product isn’t defined by the sport and instead, has used his platform to find interests outside of fighting.
“I think there’s a lot of guys who bombard themselves – their friends are all fighters, they all talk about fighting, they go home, they see a fighter on Instagram, they train every day, watch UFC on the weekends and that can take a toll,” Matthews said.
“The way I look at it is, I go home and focus on other ventures and everything else in my life, which actually makes me look forward to going to the gym and going into my fights.
“There’s other things going on in life with some business ventures and family, so I’m just trying to fit in fights around all of that. It’s super important to have that balance.
Jake Matthews exchanges strikes with Andre Fialho in 2022. Getty
“I’ve spent a good portion of my career establishing a network and creating partnerships to lead into business opportunities after I finish fighting.
“There’s only a small handful of people who make it to the UFC and an even smaller percentage who actually make decent money, so it’s definitely important for all fighters to have a foundation to go onto after their career finishes.
“If your life is 24/7 about fighting, you can easily become jaded and get over it – maybe that’s why I’ve had such a long career in the UFC.”
Matthews did make an admission that he would probably tune in for Conor McGregor’s return against Max Holloway in July – if the fight does eventuate.
“I’ll believe it when he’s in the octagon and they close the cage door,” he laughed.
“I was surprised to hear that, but I think it’s good and he [McGregor] should have one more crack at it. That’s probably one of the few fights I actually would watch.”
Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021. Getty
Having balance away from the cage has helped Matthews move past dramas in his career – most notably, his controversial loss to Neil Magny last year in Perth.
Matthews had the American in a chokehold as the seconds ticked down at the end of round one, before referee Jim Perdios stepped in and waved it off.
Magny immediately pleaded his case that he wasn’t unconscious, which led to Perdios allowing the fight to continue and Matthews ultimately lost via a third-round submission.
He appealed the decision, claiming the premature stoppage from Perdios played a role in the result, but the WA Combat Sports Commission rejected the appeal and the result stood.
Most fighters in that situation would kick stones, but Matthews isn’t most fighters.
“Obviously not ideal the way it went down,” he said.
“I’ll always look at that fight as a win in my eyes. A lot of people reached out to me but unless someone’s got a time machine, there’s no point worrying about it.
Jake Matthews celebrates in his fight against Neil Magny. Getty
“We just moved onto the next thing. I’ve got a lot of good things going on at home and a lot of good things lined up in the future, so I just focused on that.
“We can’t go and change the past, there’s no point dwelling on it. As soon as the fight was done, I was over it and there’s no point even mentioning it now.
“It stung, but to let it affect other things in your life, there’s no point.”
Matthews – who converted to Islam in 2023 – said his faith helped him navigate the disappointing setback and move past it swiftly.
“That last fight is one of those situations where I believe with every part of my body that what’s meant to be will be,” he said.
“That’s definitely a time where my beliefs helped me not to dwell on things.”
After a decent break from competing, Matthews will make his UFC return on Saturday night (AEST) against 38-year-old opponent Harris, who has stepped in on very short notice to replace Muslim Salikhov on the main card.
“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, our training schedule remains the same – evenly distributed between grappling, wrestling, striking, conditioning,” he said.
“The game plan changes a little bit, but anything can happen in any fight so I’ve just gotta stay ready for any possibility in there … I’m gonna go out there and throw down.
“Whatever presents itself for the win whether it’s a knockout, submission, three-round war that goes the distance, I’m gonna take it and there’s no other expectations.”
