Rob Font and Jean Matsumoto meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 252 main card at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto UFC Seattle preview
Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) has experienced mixed results of late, snapping two-fight skids twice while losing four of his past six. Font is coming off a unanimous decision over Kyle Phillips last October. A victory would give Font his first winning streak since 2021. … Matsumoto (16-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is a 2023 Dana White’s Contender Series alum who’s won his first two UFC bouts, most recently a unanimous decision against Brad Katona last October.
Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto UFC Seattle expert pick, prediction
Despite having Dominick Cruz drop out of the main event, the UFC matchmakers were able to salvage the Font side of the equation by booking Matsumoto on short notice.
Matsumoto was originally slated to fight in two weeks, so the 25-year-old won’t exactly be coming off the couch. The UFC was nice enough to book this at a catchweight of 140 pounds due to the one-week’s notice nature of it all, but that could ultimately benefit Font, who is big for the division.
I was admittedly surprised to see Matsumoto favored, but I’m guessing that the oddsmakers like the age gap, accompanied by the fact that Matsumoto can be an aggressive grappler in spots. Couple that with Font’s porous takedown defense percentage, and the potential pathway for the Brazilian becomes a bit more clear.
However, when you actually go back and watch the tape, you’ll see that Font has quietly improved his defense along the fence (a place where Matsumoto makes a majority of his attempts). In addition, Font has also sharpened his transitional grappling and getup game, utilizing underhooks in conjunction with wall walks or using butterflies to create space and invert.
The important thing to note about the options listed above is that none of them involve serious front-headlock exposure, which is the area where Matsumoto makes his money.
Matsumoto also has power on the feet, but his lack of head movement and angles could feed him right into the collar ties of Font.
I suppose Font crapping the bed isn’t out of the equation, but I really like the chances of the New England native in this spot. A club and sub for the American is quietly on the table, but I’ll officially pick Font to take this one on the scorecards.
Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto UFC Seattle odds
The oddsmakers and the public are slightly favoring the Brazilian fighter, listing Matsumoto (-168) and Font (+136) via FanDuel.
Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto UFC Seattle start time, how to watch
Font and Matsumoto are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
