Other names Pinoy Punisher Name A.J. Matthews Nationality American Height 1.83 m | Division Welterweight (170 lb) Weight 78 kg Reach 75.0 in (191 cm) | |
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Born January 23, 1988 (age 36)
San Diego, California, United States ( 1988-01-23 ) Fighting out of Carlsbad, California, United States Team Blackline MMA
Alliance MMA | ||
The Score: Filipino-American MMA fighter AJ Matthews on his story as an athlete
A.J. Matthews (born January 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in Bellator's welterweight division.
Contents
- The Score Filipino American MMA fighter AJ Matthews on his story as an athlete
- Early career
- Strikeforce
- Bellator MMA
- Fight Master Bellator MMA
- Return to Bellator
- Rizin Fighting Federation
- References
Early career
Matthews started his career in 2007. He fought mainly for Californian promotions such as King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge. After four consecutive victories, Matthews signed with Strikeforce.
Strikeforce
Matthews faced Herman Terrado on April 9, 2011 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley. He had his first career's defeat via KO in the first round.
Bellator MMA
Matthews made his debut against Rudy Bears on October 8, 2011 at Bellator 53. He won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Matthews faced Charlie Rader on May 25, 2012 at Bellator 70. He won via KO in the second round.
Matthews faced Dom O'Grady on October 12, 2012 at Bellator 76. He lost via split decision (29-28 O'Grady, 29-28 Matthews, 29-28 O'Grady).
Fight Master: Bellator MMA
On May 6, 2013, it was announced that Matthews would be featured as a participant on Bellator MMA reality TV show Fight Master.
In the first episode, Matthews faced Strikeforce and Bellator veteran Darryl Cobb in a qualifying round for an opportunity to choose one of the four coaches of the show to work with. Matthews won via unanimous decision after three rounds and following his victory, he selected Randy Couture to be his coach.
In the seventh episode, Matthews faced two-time NCAA Division I All-American Eric Bradley in the round of 16 of the tournament. He was defeated via unanimous decision after two rounds.
Return to Bellator
Matthews faced Belal Muhammad at Bellator 112 on March 14, 2014. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Matthews faced Kyle Bolt at Bellator 131 on November 15, 2014. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Matthews was expected to face Ben Reiter at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015. However, Matthews pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by Benji Radach.
Matthews eventually returned to face Emiliano Sordi at Bellator 141 on August 28, 2015. He won the fight via TKO after his opponent's corner stopped the fight between rounds one and two.
Matthews faced Ben Reiter at Bellator 156 on June 17, 2016. He lost a one-sided unanimous decision.
Matthews faced Hisaki Kato on October 21, 2016 at Bellator 162. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Matthews faced Andre Fialho at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. After a back-and-forth contest, in which both fighters were able to land significant strikes, hurting their opponent, ultimately Matthews lost the bout via split decision.
Rizin Fighting Federation
In his debut for the Rizin Fighting Federation, Matthews faced Anatoly Tokov on December 29, 2015. He lost the fight via knockout due to a punch under a minute into the first round.