UFC’s Ultimate Fighting Column: Dana White hails Australia’s Jake Matthews as future star of MMA

UFC president Dana White says Australia’s Jake Matthews is a future stud of MMA and could prove crucial to haveing the sport legalised in every state.

UFC president Dana White has hailed Jake Matthews the future of Mixed Martial Arts in Australia, saying: “The kid is a stud”.

Speaking with The Daily Telegraph in Las Vegas this week, White not only promised to get his sport legalised in every Australian State -- but suggested 20-year-old Matthews was the fighter to help win over the critics.

Apart from still living at home with his parents in Melbourne, Matthews has a look more in tune with One Direction than the world’s most notorious a fastest growing fight organisation.

Better, he can throw down.

“I think Jake Matthews is an absolute stud,’’ White enthused. “The kid looks awesome and the path he’s on now, we’re going to continue giving him strong fights and see how he does.

“This guy, man, he really excites us.”

Giving up a promising AFL career in his teens, Matthews remains undefeated in nine MMA fights -- including his two performances in the UFC lightweight division.

At the recent Sydney Fight Night event, the ‘Celtic Kid’ beat Vagner Rocha in spectacular fashion -- throwing a Superman punch before finishing the fight via Rear Naked Choke.

While adopted Aussies Mark Hunt and Hector Lombard -- who both fight under the Australian flag -- remain our top MMA talent, Matthews is quickly gaining a huge reputation Stateside.

Jake Matthews connects with a right to Vagner Rocha in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night 55 event at Allphones Arena

Asked about the praise from White, he said: “To have Dana mention me by name, it’s cool.

“I’m stoked at that. I’m amazed that it’s not just close family and friends who believe in me -- it’s now the president of the UFC. For a guy like him to have faith in me makes you want to push harder.”

Matthews also laughed off suggestions the praise would add more pressure to his fledgling career.

“There’s absolutely no pressure for me at all,’’ he stressed. “It doesn’t matter how much expectation there is from fans, family, the UFC, whoever, it’s not as much as the expectation I have on myself.

“I’m so excited for my next fight and proving what Dana told you is true.”

Dana heaps praise on more Aussies

STILL on White, and the UFC boss also heaped praise on former Sydney Cityrail worker Robert Whittaker, who recently upset rising American Clint Hester on the Sydney Fight Night card.

“Apart from Jake, the other fighter who really excites me is Robert Whittaker,’’ White said. “I look at that kid and ... oh, my God, how good did he look against Hester on your Sydney card?

“He was awesome in that fight. That was a very, very tough fight for him but his hands -- incredible.

“Those two guys are the future of the sport in Australia.”

Whittaker, in a move up to middleweight, earned Fight of the Night honours at Allphones Arena with a stunning TKO in the second round.

The TUF: Smashes winner, who has now won four of six fights inside the Octagon, finished the bout with a flurry of hands and knees to capture the attention of White.

Asked about the praise, Whittaker said: “Dana – he’s the boss. So hearing those type of words from him is massive respect and such a huge confidence booster.

“For him to take notice of me like that is just unreal. It gives me so much confidence and I’ll fight any man he puts in front of me.

“Hopefully he’ll continue to take notice and like what I’m doing more and more.”

Dana White is impressed by the talent Australia has on offer

Hunt urged to keep weight on

AMERICA’S nutrition guru Mike Dolce has urged Mark Hunt to keep his weight at 120kg – adamant the heavyweight would have won the world title without his dramatic pre-fight weight cut.

Speaking with The Daily Telegraph this week, Dolce said Hunt was an “amazing athlete” who made “a tough ask even tougher” by having to shed 20kg in only three weeks to face Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City.

The popular nutritionist, whose Dolce Diet is the stuff of legend, said Hunt could again rise to the top of the sport if he could kept from drifting as far as 150kg.

“Mark Hunt is an amazing athlete,’’ Dolce said. “I’ve been watching him since his K1 days, then right through Pride – I’m a huge Mark Hunt fan.

“But the situation he had in Mexico City, it’s tough because there’s no reason to get that heavy. Mark at 265 pounds (120kg) still looks good. And as long as he keeps fighting I’d like to see him walk around close to his fight weight.

“But Mark taking the fight at very short notice, 20 kilos overweight … it made a difficult situation so much more difficult. Without all that, I would’ve considered him the favourite.”

Asked how he prepared fighters he works with, Dolce continued: “In those final three weeks we’re just looking to lose the last percentage of water weight.

“My athletes, guys like Thiago Alves and Nick Lentz, they’re about seven per cent body fat three weeks before competition. We don’t get any lower than that.

“It also allows us to eat more and drink more fluid as we get closer to the weigh ins. These fights actually increase calorie consumption as they get closer to the scale.

“Unfortunately most athletes do it wrong and the last three weeks is where they really eliminate the calories and that’s where they become really unhealthy … it becomes more difficult for them to compete.”

Two cards for Aus

TALKING with UFC officialdom in Las Vegas this week, it seems Australia is no hope of getting three UFC cards in 2015. At best, we will get two -- and perhaps only one if the Octagon ban is not lifted in Victoria. Should the Opposition Labor government win the upcoming election however, it’s expected both Sydney and Melbourne will host events -- with the company launching its arrival in Victoria with a blockbuster Pay-Per-View.

White was also non-committal on when New Zealand would host another card, saying only: “We will be back there”.

Hunt the entrepreneur

HE MAY not have that world title belt, but Mark Hunt is still turning entrepreneur following his tough heavyweight loss in Mexico City.

Keen to provide for his huge global fan base, dubbed the ‘Army of Doom’, Hunt has launched a website -- www.jugnt.com -- which outlines a new clothing line, merchandise and, soon, a DVD on how to perfect the ‘walk off’ knockout.

“I’m also going to produce a video showing how I lost the 20kg in three weeks to take the title fight,’’ he says. “Not only the physical and nutritional secrets, but the mindset behind it.”

Hunt has called his new clothing line Juggernaut -- after the first fight name he ever carried into a Mixed Martial Arts ring.

Elsewhere, the Campbelltown 40-year-old has dropped one place, to fifth, in the heavyweight rankings following his interim title loss. Stipe Miocic moves into fourth. While refusing to be drawn on his next opponent, UFC president Dana White said: “Mark took that fight on short, we know that and tried to help out where possible. He’s a gamer and we will get him another great fight.”

Return of Gracie?

RENZO Gracie has revealed he is still talking with UFC president Dana White about a return to the company -- at age 47. Speaking with Submission Radio this week, the Brazilian said he would like to compete twice in 2015 while also revealing a hilarious story about a stink involving Don Frye and Dennis Hallman in a hotel lobby several years ago.

Gracie revealed how when fellow fighter Bas Rutten tried to separate the pair, he was dropped by a Hallman head kick meant for Frye.

“Bas looks up at me and goes ‘Man this kid hits hard. He punches hard’,’’ Gracie recalls. “I said ‘that was no punch Bas. That was a roundhouse kick that put you on the floor’.

“And then we start laughing. He goes ‘what’s wrong with you Brazilians? A guy gets in a fight and you guys fix your chair to watch?’ I said ‘Bas, this is what we do ... what’s the chance you’re going to see this fight, Don Frye with Dennis Hallman? Never. So let me watch this, let’s enjoy.”

Originally published as UFC’s Ultimate Fighting Column: Dana White hails Australia’s Jake Matthews as future star of MMA