Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight finishers Jake Matthews and Andrew Holbrook battled last night (Nov. 26, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 101 inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Matthews has been rather hot and cold inside the Octagon, generally either dominating his opponents or finding himself on the wrong side of a finish. Luckily, at just 22 years old, he’s still a fighter to keep an eye on. Last night, the young Australian attempted to return to the win column. Meanwhile, Holbrook is still something of a newcomer to UFC lightweight division. This was only his third bout in the promotion, and he had yet to make a strong impression in his previous contests.
That changed here.
Matthews opened the bout looking to maintain his distance while his foe stalked aggressively. Matthews landed a few solid blows — particularly his inside low kick — but Holbrook kept attacking and threw in higher volume. Before long, the fight moved to the mat. The two athletes transitioned and traded positions smoothly, but it was Holbrook who took his foe’s back and controlled until the end of the round.
It was competitive, but Holbrook definitely was the more effective man.
Both men continued to rely on their current game plans, but Matthews was more active in bursting forward from that outside. One such right hand seemed to stun his opponent, which gave Matthews the opening necessary to land a strong takedown and get in top position. From his back, Holbrook jumped on leg locks and kimuras. He wasn’t able to successfully reverse or submit his opponent, but he kept his foe on the defensive and prevented Matthews from really attacking with punches and elbows.
After two rounds, it was likely tied up.
Matthews played a much better matador in the third round, scoring his punches and moving before Holbrook could close range. However, the American began to find his range after a couple minutes, causing Matthews to change levels and land a double leg takedown. Once again, Holbrook immediately attacked with submissions. He stayed aggressive throughout the round, but Matthews defended well and maintained top position. All in all, that kept the round — and the fight — rather close.
Not even the judges agreed, as just two of the three awarded Holbrook the decision victory.
Holbrook fought with an excellent gameplan in this match up. He pressured his opponent relentlessly with strikes, which helps keep him ahead on the scorecard even if neither man is really taking over on the feet. It also forced his foe into a grappling match, which is where Holbrook tends to shine. Additionally, Holbrook never stopped working. There was no moment where he rested, as the underdog attacked on the feet, punched in the clinch, shot takedowns, and swarmed with submissions on the mat.
Holbrook rarely allowed his foe a moment to breathe or initiate, and it won him the decision.
In fairness, Matthews fought pretty well in this bout as well. He’s not yet a comfortable striker, which makes a pressure kickboxer like Holbrook difficult to deal with. Despite that uncomfortable style match up, Matthews stuck to his game plan and landed some very solid punches. That said, when push came to shove, he relied on his stellar grappling and athleticism.
Matthews’ athletic gifts really carried him in this bout. He was forced to scramble with the more technical grappler, and he was largely able to survive because he was the superior athlete. That kept him in top position, which is one of the main reasons this fight was so close. This is a tough and unexpected loss, but Matthews is still a quality prospect. That said, he definitely could use more time to grow, so it should be a couple fights before he receives any serious tests.
At UFC Fight Night 101, Andrew Holbrook took a close decision from Jake Matthews. Is Holbrook a new fighter to watch at Lightweight?
For complete UFC Fight Night 101: "Whittaker vs Brunson" results and play-by-play, click HERE!