“We’ve got Jimmy Crute, Cal Potter, Ben Sosoli, Dan Kelly – with me, that’s five guys who are either in the UFC or have been,” says Matthews. “That’s a lot for one gym. I don’t know if there’s another in Australia with that many.
“Personally, I’ve just scratched the surface in terms of what there is to learn. You can never master mixed martial arts. But there’s no better person to learn from than Dan Kelly. He’s a four-time Olympian, experienced UFC fighter and one of the most resilient men I’ve ever met. It’s good to be able to train alongside him and under him. When he takes you down with those judo throws, he’s very heavy!”
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On a two-fight win streak, Matthews is coming into the bout against Diego Sanchez on a high. And he hopes a win against the legend will make more people sit up and pay attention.
“I think I’ve had five wins and one loss in my past six fights, and that’s pretty decent in the UFC. Now, I’m hoping to get my third straight. It’s always great for the confidence, especially beating an opponent like my last one – Emil Meek was a tough guy”
The Aussie continues, “He was very similar to Diego, except bigger, stronger and younger. Has that aggressiveness. Loves to swing and slog. I think that, going off my last fight, I should be pretty capable of having Diego covered.”
