Fil-Am MMA fighter AJ Matthews staying confident
THE wins have not been coming of late for Filipino-American mixed martial arts fighter AJ “The Mercenary” Matthews, but he remains confident of his abilities, and of finally turning things around.
Lost his last three fights, Alliance MMA talent Matthews said the mind-set for him in his MMA career has always been about “moving on” while taking note of the lessons along the way.
“Every time I step in to fight I really feel like I’m the man [despite the losses]. I’m confident of my abilities as a fighter. I really don’t remember the previous fight. In this sport you have to have a short memory because the most important fight is the next,” said Mr. Matthews, 29, in an interview with a group of sportswriters recently, which was part of his duties as a new member of the brand ambassadors for sports apparel maker Under Armour.
His most recent loss came in October last year at the hands of Hisaki Kato at “Bellator 162” by way of technical knockout (punches) in the opening round.
Prior to that, he bowed to Ben Reiter by unanimous decision at “Bellator 156” in June 2016 and Anatoly Tokov by knockout (punch) in December 2015 in Rizin Fighting Federation.
The string of losses dropped him to an 8-6 record.
He went on to share that he is expecting to be back in action next month at Bellator.
MOVING TO THE PHILIPPINES
In the Philippines since August, Mr. Matthews said he is very impressed with the MMA scene in the country but points out that it still needs to be developed.
“MMA is a new sport compared to other combat sports. And it is the same here. But the talent is definitely there as Filipinos are innate fighters. They just need to build on it, enhance their skills some more. That is why I’m here, to help in any way to further its development,” said Mr. Matthews, who is helping fellow Fil- Am fighter Brandon Vera and the Alliance team with plans to set up a gym in the country.
Now in the game for 10 years, Mr. Matthews, who also fought in other organizations in different parts of the world, including Strikeforce and King of the Cage, said his passion for the sport is still very much alive.
“This is what I do. This is all I want to do. I ‘retired’ for a while but I came back,” he said.
He also offered advice for those who want to pick up MMA as a sport, or even as a career like in his case.
“My advice is don’t lie to yourself. It’s either you are a fighter or not. If you want to be the best, you train with the best and fight the best. If you fight a chump then you are a chump. Get good mentors and listen to them. Learn from them,” he said.
“Also, respect the sport and it will respect you back,” Mr. Matthews said.
As for his partnership with Under Armour, he sees it as enhancing his game as far as making him more accountable.
“My partnership with Under Armour will hold me more accountable. It’s like a flag I’m carrying. I’m representing the Philippines and Under Armour,” he said. —