The Ultimate Fighting Championship is heading back to New Zealand for UFC Auckland in early 2020 and they have called on one of Oceania’s brightest young stars, Jake Matthews. In a series of recent fight announcements, the UFC announced that the Melbourne, Australia native will be fighting on the card against Emil Meek.
Matthews, who has fought 10 of his 12 UFC bouts in either Australia or New Zealand, made his debut for the promotion in Auckland on June 28, 2014.
Now, he’s returning to where his UFC career got started and he’s more excited than ever.
After the bout was announced, Matthews took to social media to share a photo of his signed bout agreement. However, there was a catch. Rather than going with a traditional signature, Matthews made the decision to show his dedication by signing the contract in blood.
“[Emil Meek,] I signed this one in blood,” the 25-year-old wrote on Instagram. “Auckland will be war!”
Matthews holds a professional record of 15-4 with 4 wins by knockout and 7 wins by submission. In his most recent outing, Matthews secured a unanimous decision win over Rostem Akman at UFC 243 in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia.
As for UFC Auckland — which will be held at Spark Arena — the event will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020. In the main event, lightweight contenders Paul Felder and Dan Hooker will go toe-to-toe.
A look at the latest fight card for UFC Auckland can be seen below.
- Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker
- Vinicius Moreira vs. Tyson Pedro
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Ben Sosoli
- Jake Matthews vs. Emil Meek
- Magomed Mustafaev vs. Brad Riddell
Additional bouts for the event will be announced in the coming weeks.