By Rich Davie@RichDavieMay 22, 2014Jake Matthews and Dashon Johnson have been signed to the UFC to fight each other on the preliminary card of the UFC Fight Night 43: Te Huna vs. Marquardt event, happening on June 28 2014 at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
Fans of the UFC and their reality show "The Ultimate Fighter" will more than likely recall Jake Matthews from the “TUF: Nations” season in which he fought for Team Australia at welterweight.
Jake made the cut for the show, winning his match-up that earned him a spot in the TUF house... unfortunately Jake's first fight in the house on the show was a unanimous decision loss to Oliver Aubin-Mercier.
Jake will be returning to the lightweight ranks for his official UFC debut when he faces Dashon Johnson on June 28 2014.
It's understandable as to why Jake Matthews was signed to fight on the card in the UFC's debut in New Zealand, since his homeland is right next door... but there have been a few who have questioned why his opponent Dashon Johnson was signed to the UFC.
Dashon Johnson has a 9-0 record according to Sherdog's "Fight Finder" page, and as of today his RFA debut bout that was set to take place next month at RFA 15 in Los Angeles is still being referenced as his next fight.
The question being raised by some MMA fans is... how does a fighter with a 9-0 record against very questionable opposition get signed to the UFC ?
When the term "very questionable opposition" is used in this instance, the conclusion being drawn is that Johnson should probably not be fighting in the UFC when only 2 of his 8 opponents have ever won a fight... and one of those opponents he's fought twice has an 0-11 record !
I guess all fighters have to start out somewhere on the ladder... but I too can't help but think that Dashon Johnson's starting point regarding his signing with the UFC is less analogous to starting at the bottom rung of the ladder, and more closely resembles the jump one has to make when attempting to reach the first rung on the fire escape from ground level.
Good luck to both Jake Matthews and Dashon Johnson in their UFC debuts... but I'll be picking Jake Matthews to win this match-up.