Jake Matthews and Phil Rowe at the UFC 302 official weigh-in. Photo by Dylan Napoleone/Cageside Press
Once the UFC’s youngest fighter, Jake Matthews was a 10-year UFC veteran just months shy of his 30th birthday when he entered the fight at UFC 302 paired with “The Fresh Prince” Phil Rowe.
Matthews had been winless and lost his previous six bouts since his UFC debut in June 2014 after competing at The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, while Rowe was coming off a three-fight win streak that was halted by a loss to Neil Magny.
The opening round began with Matthews and Rowe trading thuds of calf kicks as they moved in and out of striking range. Matthews moved around on the outside with jabs and feints, landing calf kicks at will. Rowe landed a combination up the side of the cage and a punch on Matthews. After dodging another punch, Rowe landed a flashy punch in the center of the Octagon. Midway through the round, Matthews was still throwing jabs and his opponent was looking to counter from the outside. With a minute left in the round, Matthews dropped Rowe with a nice lead hook, then continued to come forward with looping strikes. Rowe tried a jumping knee that Matthews deflected with his hand, but it also hit the cup and time expired soon after.
When the fight resumed, Matthews wasted no time coming in with wild swinging hooks while Rowe clinched to slow Matthews’ momentum. With just seconds left in the round, Rowe attempted a flying knee but was caught in mid-air and spent the rest of the round on his back.
At the start of the second round, Jake was aggressive again, chasing Rowe around the cage, looking for hooks and low kicks. Rowe went for a long 1-2 combination, but missed just short and was again cut off by a solid hook up top. Phil was really pumping with his jab, constantly landing it in his opponent’s face. Midway through the round, Matthews’ pace seemed to slow a bit, but he was still landing hard shots and mixing in some body attacks. With about 90 seconds left in the round, Matthews landed a solid three-punch combination to his opponent’s head, getting his man’s attention. With a minute left, the two men stood in the center of the Octagon, picking up the pace and circling each other as they traded.
The final round started at a ferocious pace, with the two fighters trading quick stand-up strikes, with Rowe attempting a takedown only to be reversed. Matthews’ advantage was short-lived, as Rowe mounted his opponent in the center of the Octagon. Rowe got into Matthews’ full guard, forcing Matthews to expose his back as he tried to escape. Phil went for a rear-naked choke, but slipped and fell to the ground. Both fighters engaged in some entertaining scrambles, with Matthews landing strikes from the mount position and Phil trying to get to his feet. With nearly a minute left in the round, Rowe had to escape a brief head-and-arm choke attempt, but still managed to grab his feet and stay up. With seconds left in the round, Matthews went for another choke, and the two were nearly back on their feet when the final horn sounded.
The scorecards show Matthews has won all three bouts, his latest victory coming after a loss to Michael Morales in his last bout.
OFFICIAL DECISION: Jake Matthews defeats Phil Rowe via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
