MMA Preview – Jake Matthews vs Tony Martin at UFC Fight Night 142
AT A GLANCE
When is UFC Fight Night 142? Sunday 2nd December, 2018 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 142? Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
What channel is UFC Fight Night 142 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 142? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
Are tickets still available for UFC Fight Night 142? http://uk.ufc.com/event-ticket...
THE STATISTICS
THE LOWDOWN
Jake Matthews welcomes Tony Martin to Australia for UFC Fight Night 142. This is a fascinating match-up as they are so evenly-matched on paper. They have almost identical physical attributes as well as their records and interestingly they are both undefeated as welterweights.
They experienced mixed fortunes as lightweights mainly due to the fact they had to cut so much weight. Matthews especially so, as he wouldn’t look out of place in the middleweight division.
Now at a more comfortable weight, Matthews has won three in a row against tough opponents – Bojan Velickovic, Li Jingliang and Shinsho Anzai. Martin is coming off two wins upon his return to welterweigh with a decision over Keita Nakamura and a stunning knockout against Ryan LaFlare.
THE PREDICTION
They are both black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and utilise their power to control the grappling exchanges and search for submissions in which they have been very successful, with 15 submission wins between them. So, it would be compelling to see them battle it out on the mat.
However, when two fighters with very similar and high-level skillsets meet, we often see their skills cancel each other out. Expect to see a stand-up battle with the odd clinch which is where Matthews should have the edge – he is a better striker and should have the power advantage in the clinch to see him earn a decision at least.
Winner: Matthews via Decision
Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.
