Matthew Semelsberger back in action Saturday at UFC Fight Night
Dec. 17—Matthew Semelsberger will seek to avoid his first career slump Saturday when he takes his exciting brand of freestyle aggression back into the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Octagon to meet Australian Jake Matthews.
The welterweights are scheduled for a three-round preliminary bout on a UFC Fight Night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Semelsberger, an Urbana High grad who goes by the nickname "Semi The Jedi" and will be fighting for the first time as a 30-year-old, hopes to end his year with momentum by beating a well-regarded, talented veteran.
Against a similar type of counterpart his last time out, Semi wasn't quite able to pull that off on July 30 in Dallas, where Alex Morono handed him a unanimous decision defeat despite Semelsberger's hellbent intentions in a wild third-round.
Morono picked apart Semelsberger and damaged his left eye during the kickboxing exchanges over the first two rounds. That outcome likely sent the local brawler searching for ways to solidify his defense and recalibrate his attack for another experienced foe over the past several months spent marinating in defeat.
"In my fights, particularly the ones that went to decisions, you see these little flashes of greatness, little flashes of what I'm capable of, but then it fizzles out," Semelsberger said in an interview posted Friday on UFC.com. "That's been my focus. The perfect fight for me, the way I'm going to really put my stamp on being in the UFC and being a top welterweight, is the consistency of the good things you've seen from me but bringing it out and dragging it out for the entire fight."
Viewers of his UFC fights have witnessed his powerful right hand and willingness to exchange with competent striking and a sturdy chin. They've seen him land takedowns every time he's attempted them (though that hasn't been a big part of his offense) and work his way through dangerous situations with a calm head. They've seen him go for broke to close bouts, whether he's ahead or behind on scorecards.
But he's aiming for an overall crispness and flow of those elements, which is the essence of the sport.
A win over Matthews would rank as the biggest win of Semelsberger's career and would help him move up the welterweight ladder as he aims to become one of the best and most entertaining 170-pounders in the world. Semi (10-4 overall, 4-2 UFC) has never lost two fights in a row since ditching college at Marist, where he starred as a football safety, to chase his dream of becoming an MMA professional. He joined the UFC in August 2020.
The 28-year-old Matthews (18-5, 11-5) has been in the world's top mixed martial arts promotion since he was 19. He has won four of his last five dating to 2019 and has gone 9-2 since 2017. Three of his most recent wins have been decisions, but his latest outing ended in a second-round knockout of Andre Fíalho on June 12. Matthews is a minus-300 favorite.
"He's a scary dude. He's got power in his hands. He's knocked people out, super-experienced and even from a young age he's been in the UFC," Semelsberger said. "... He's a killer. He's very smart and very experienced, so that's juicy to me, but also at the same time it's very scary to think about."
A plus-240 underdog, the 6-foot-1 Semelsberger will have a slight height and reach advantage, and it might be imperative for him to do more than just bang with Matthews to dispatch "The Celtic Kid," who has seven submission victories (none since 2018).
"I won't even say I gotta go win or do this or do that," Semi said. "Perform. I need to perform, and that's the biggest thing I'm focused on."
They will square off in the second-to-last bout on the prelims, which begin at 4 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
On Twitter last month, Semelsberger called his performance against Morono "unacceptable."
In the online interview, he added, "I'm not here to be average, or even above average. I'm here to do amazing things."
