SEATTLE – Rob Font faces replacement opponent Jean Matsumoto at UFC Fight Night 252 on Saturday, but apparently the promotion first presented him a surprising other option.
When Dominick Cruz withdrew from their scheduled fight at Climate Pledge Arena and subsequently retired, Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) was first presented with Raul Rosas Jr. (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), he revealed during a pre-fight news conference Wednesday.
“They initially offered (Raul) Rosas Jr.,” Font told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “They offered him and I’m not sure what happened. We said yes. I’m not sure what happened. But the fight didn’t happen. Then, Chris Gutierrez threw his name into the mix. I don’t think the UFC liked that idea at first. Then they were like, ‘Let’s throw Matsumoto in,’ and we accepted. We sat down and watched his tape and all that and figured out this is a dangerous guy, but it’s a good matchup.”
With “could’ve been” matchups put aside, Matsumoto (16-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) presents much different challenges than Cruz, as Font sees it. The 25-year-old Brazilian as a challenge – but not on the same level of those with numbers next to their name, like himself, assessed Font.
“If you look at obviously his style, it’s completely different than Cruz,” Font said. “But it’s going to be a fun fight. He’s straightforward. He’s throwing big right hands, big left hooks, and a lot of head kicks. Obviously, he’s looking for takedowns as well. It’s a little more straightforward than what Cruz would be doing. He’d obviously be moving a lot and I believe Cruz probably would’ve had better timing on his takedowns than him. I like the matchup. But then again in the UFC, all these matchups are tough. If I had to choose, I’d pick him over the rest of the monsters out there.”
Font, 37, has been with the promotion since 2014. For the past five years, he’s taken on ranked competition and some of the bantamweight division’s biggest names. Though he’s 2-4 in his most recent six outings, Font said he’s the criticism from online haters is just noise to him. He’s here to challenge himself and move up the divisional ladder.
“This division is the toughest division out there,” Font said. “It’s the most exciting division. There are so many studs in this division. I’m just interested in seeing how this all shakes out. I figured fighting a guy like Cruz would help me get back into that mix a little earlier or a little sooner, but it is what it is. Obviously, there’s a lot of risks to fight Matsumoto in this fight. That probably won’t do much for me in terms of moving me up when I win. But I’m just here to fight and I’m here to challenge myself. I think this fight alone is going to bring a lot out of me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
