UFC Seattle results: Rob Font guts out split decision win in back-and-forth war with Jean Matsumoto
02/22/2025 10:35 PM
Nothing came easy but Rob Font found a way to get the job done with a gutsy split decision win over Jean Matsumoto at UFC Seattle on Saturday.
Originally scheduled to face Dominick Cruz in his final fight, Font instead had to face a young, hungry up and comer who gave him everything he could handle across all three rounds. In the end, Font's workrate, constant pressure and volume striking earned him the win with two judges giving him the nod with 29-28 scorecards with the third official going 29-28 for Matsumoto.
"That kid is tough," Font said after the win. "He's going to be a problem in this division. I want to give him a huge shout taking on me on two weeks' notice.
"I was supposed to come in here obviously fight Dominick Cruz. He got injured and obviously retired. I'm always improving and I can't wait to see what's next. I want anybody in front of me, I would love the winner of the main event [between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong]. You know what's up."
Font came out firing immediately — almost blowing right through a touch of gloves — as he tried to overwhelm Matsumoto. The undefeated Brazilian came right back at him and actually cracked Font with a hard shot that put the UFC veteran on his backfoot.
Matsumoto eventually took over with some effective grappling, which included a guillotine choke attempt but he showed he was more than ready for the challenge that Font was going to throw at him.
As the second round started, Matsumoto went back to his wrestling but Font did a good job resisting him on the ground before the fighters worked their way back to the feet. From there, Font started to establish his lead jab, which has long been one of his best weapons in the UFC.
Matsumoto countered by going back to his grappling but Font resisted well and then unleashed several blistering combinations. Font kept up with the pressure but Matsumoto came right back at him with some nasty punches of his own as well as chopping away at him with kicks to the legs before going back up top to the head.
As the battle continued, Font threw a slick inside elbow that opened a gash on Matsumoto's forehead that saw blood start pouring down his face. Font kept putting the pressure on but Matsumoto was giving as good as he was getting, especially with repeated leg kicks that landed in succession.
Just before time expired, Font and Masumoto decided to throw caution to the wind as they just started unloading punches until the final horn sounded as the Seattle crowd roared with approval.
The performance puts Font on a two-fight win streak for the first time since 2021 and he remains a tough out for anybody willing to face him at 135 pounds in the UFC.
