The MMA Daily

Preview

In the Welterweight division, we have what could be an exciting fight between Jake ‘The Celtic Kid’ Matthews and Jeremiah Wells. Signed at the age of twenty years old, Matthews was once viewed as a future contender. While that hasn’t come to fruition yet, Matthews has seen more success of late. A winner of six of the last eight, with a victory over Li Jingliang in that span, Matthews has some momentum heading into this fight. Meanwhile, Wells comes into this fight off a successful UFC debut in June over Warlley Alves. A fight in which Wells took on short notice and was a moderate underdog, yet won via knockout. 

Prediction

This is a fun fight and one that could potentially lead to a performance bonus. Jake Matthews has been in the UFC for seven years, and has won nine times inside the octagon. Of those nine wins however, only one of his opponents is still in the UFC, Li Jingliang. Oddly enough, of Matthew’s five losses, only Sean Brady remains on the roster. A fairly well rounded fighter, with no area of strength, Matthews has often game planned around his opponents’ weakness.  While it has led him to success more than not, Matthews’ struggles have notably been against better competition. As for Wells, the Renzo Gracie Philly fighter is well rounded. With legitimate power on the feet, as well strong wrestling and good ground skills, Wells has shown comfortability wherever the fight goes. The four knockouts and three submission victories backup Wells’ diverse game.

As for a prediction, I have Wells winning. While I could see Matthews have his moments, possibly landing a takedown or two, I don’t think he can sustain anything successful for over three rounds. He’s too inaccurate and hesitant on the feet, landing only 3 significant strikes per minute. Meanwhile, Wells is far from hesitant. With legitimate knockout power, excellent explosiveness and the ability to swarm foes with flurries, Wells is a handful to deal with on the feet. So much so that, I believe Wells finishes Matthews via TKO.