The thing about the heat in Las Vegas? It's a dry heat.
The thing about July in Las Vegas? It's the summer time.
Both are adjustments for Jake Matthews. So, just to be safe, he arrived two weeks ahead of time.
“It’s winter in Australia. It’s about 4 degrees Celsius there right now," Matthews said. "So that was a bit of a shock. And in Las Vegas it’s more of a dry heat. In Melbourne it’s a bit more humid. So that takes a bit off of you in training, but it’s not a big deal. We've had a fair few days to adjust."
Matthews will see whether the strategy worked when he takes on Kevin Lee Friday night on the final show of The Ultimate Fighter 23. If he wins, the 21-year-old will move to 11-1 as a pro and 5-1 in the UFC. It will be his first pro fight on U.S. soil.
His age suggests Matthews as a prospect in the competitive lightweight division. Matthews doesn't take offense to the label but insists he has moved beyond it.
The first piece of evidence? It was one of his previous fights. Surprisingly, though, he doesn't point to his most recent fight, a thrilling and gritty submission of veteran Johnny Case that garnered both men a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus from the UFC.
Rather, it was his fight last November, a TKO of Akbarh Arreola. He points it out not because of the violence he inflicted, which swelled Arreola's eye shut and forced a cageside doctor to wave off the contest. It's memorable in Matthews' mind because it happened at UFC 193. The setting was Matthews' native Melbourne, and it also happened to draw 56,214 people—only the largest recorded crowd in UFC history.
Granted, most of those fans came to see Ronda Rousey, who famously lost her women's bantamweight title and undefeated record to Holly Holm that night. But if you want to talk about pressure, there it is. That crucible, Matthews contends, has launched him past the prospect stage.
“It was crazy. I couldn’t hear myself it was so loud. It was a good thing I was accustomed to my corner guys’ voices," Matthews recalled. "More people recognize you, and there’s more media, so there’s added pressure. But I was still able to perform. ... Anything else is going to pale in comparison to that.”
Matthews faced bright lights before UFC 193. TUF fans may remember him from the show's Canada vs. Australia season back in 2014. Their memories would need to be pretty good, though, as he lost in the elimination round to eventual finalist Olivier Aubin-Mercier.
Still, it's just another bit of seasoning that has prepared him for Friday night. Up to this point, every one of his fights has occurred in Australia or New Zealand. But in the glare of Vegas, Matthews isn't batting an eye. With the glitz and scale come relative anonymity.
His opponent, Lee, is himself a young buck in the division. At the ripe old age of 23, Lee is 5-2 under the UFC banner. But Matthews, thanks in part to his big size for a lightweight, likes his chances.
“I believe I can be dominant in every area," Matthews said. "Probably I’m bigger and a lot stronger than Lee. I used to fight at middleweight, and I can wrestle fairly well. I think I have enough wrestling to counter his and keep the fight standing.”
Matthews hopes a win will move him ahead of the other up-and-coming lightweights, putting even more daylight between him, the rest of the pack and the prospect label.
“Everyone keeps referring to me as a rising star, I think mainly because I’m young," he said. "But I’m an established fighter in the division now. This win will put me on top of the young guys, so after this, I’d like to get a more experienced guy, get some exposure.”
The Beaten Path is Bleacher Report's ongoing series on the top prospects in MMA. For the previous interview in the series, click here. Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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