If you’re in the market for an intense Catchweight bout, then the UFC Seattle main card definitely has a matchup for you.
Jean Matsumoto will take on Rob Font at Climate Pledge Arena this Saturday, February 22, as The Company takes its act to the Emerald City. And after a handful of emergency changes to the overall fight card, Jean Matsumoto vs Rob Font seems poised to deliver one of the most competitive head-to-heads on the docket.
- What: UFC Seattle
- When: Saturday, February 22, 2025
- Start Time: 7 p.m. EST (preliminary bouts), 10 p.m. EST (main card)
- Where: Seattle, Washington
- Venue: Climate Pledge Arena
- Where to Watch: ESPN+ (subscription required)
- Main Event: Song Yadong vs. Henry Cejudo
This match is not taking place without drama. Font was initially scheduled to fight Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz at UFC Seattle. However, the 39-year-old ended up pulling out due to injury roughly one week before the opening pull.
For Cruz, this might mark the end of his UFC career. Sure, he has an overall record of 24-4-0. By his own standards, though, he is also navigating a rough patch. After dropping his opening fight with the UFC, all the way back in 2007, he went on to pick up 12 straight victories. Since UFC 207, though, he has dropped three of five matchups. The catch: Cruz has not fought since August 2022, when he also lost to Marlon Vera.
Anyway, Font comes to UFC Seattle with a lifetime record of 21-8-0. Though he is working off a July 2024 victory over Kyler Phillips, the 37-year-old is slogging through a pretty rough stretch.
Before his victory over Phillips, Font dropped fights against Deiveson Figueiredo (December 2023) and Cory Sandhagen (August 2023). Overall, he has now dropped four of his last five fights. In his defense, the competition has been stiff. In addition to Figueiredo and Sandhagen, this stretch also featured a showdown with Marlon Vera (April 2022).
As for Matsumoto, he was pulled from the UFC 313 fight card to salvage Font’s matchup. The 25-year-old will be putting a perfect 16-0-0 record on the line when he steps foot inside the octagon against Font.
UFC Seattle Catchweight Bout: Jean Matsumoto vs. Rob Font Betting Lines
If you think the latest online UFC betting odds would not favor Matsumoto because of the last second change, well, think again. Here is a look at the most recent Jean Matsumoto vs. Rob Font betting lines:
Please remember to keep refreshing these UFC Seattle betting odds right up until you actually place your wager. Our UFC Seattle online betting lines are accurate entering Monday, February 17. This gives the best online UFC betting sites more than enough time to make adjustments ahead of the opening bell.
This is an instance in which you likely want to prepare yourself for some movement in the lead-up. Not only are Jean Matsumoto betting odds and Rob Font betting odds relatively close, but both bettors and the linemakers alike are still dealing with the immediate fallout from Cruz’s UFC Seattle exit.
The Case for Jean Matsumoto to Beat Rob Font
Matsumoto is a relatively new face for UFC fans. He first signed with The Company after winning Dana White’s contender series in 2023. Since then, he has fought twice in an official capacity. Both matchups ended up with victories. Matsumoto won by submission (guillotine choke) against Dan Argueta in April 2024. After that, he went on to beat Brad Katona this past October by decision.
Standing 5’6”, with a 68-inch reach, Matsumoto wields difference-making speed and attack modes. He is hitting on 5.2 significant strikes per minute and landing 1.13 takedowns per 15 minutes. However, he is still trying to find his footing when it comes to efficiency. His striking accuracy (40 percent) and takedown accuracy (27 percent) are both well below the UFC averages.
Still, the quality of the maneuvers that Matsumoto does land are inarguable. He would not have beaten Katona while losing the takedown battle and finishing dead even in the striking department if he didn’t deliver a bunch of top-rate hits.
What’s more, the 25-year-old has shown flashes of exceptional defensive skills, even if the accuracy rates don’t reflect it. He can be an impossibly difficult moving target, so the much older Font will have his work cut out for him.
The Case for Rob Font to Beat Jean Matsumoto
It would normally come as a surprise that Font is not favored to beat Matsumoto. Given his recent struggles, though, it makes some sense.
Then again, we should not pretend that Font is completely washed. He still lands a good number of significant strikes—5.44 per minute, in fact, at a higher clip than boasted by Matsumoto (45 percent). And in his latest match, Font won the striking battle over Kyle Phillips 61-38.
Now, Font’s takedown defense has suffered as he enters the twilight of his career. That may have proven problematic against Cruz. But while Matsumoto is more energetic, his accuracy and technique remain wild cards.
Put another way: Font is more of a steadying presence. Matsumoto, on the other hand, pairs extremely lofty highs with equally, if not more, detrimental lows.
UFC Seattle Picks for Matsumoto vs Font
By the time the opening bell rings, we would not be shocked if the top online sports betting apps in the United States view this as more of an even matchup than they do now. Font is no longer in his prime, but he is certainly up to the task of facing someone far more inexperienced at this level.
To that end, we like Font to pull off the upset over Matsumoto—by the slightest of margins. In the aggregate, we just have more confidence that his median performance will be more effective than that of his opponent.
More than that, Font packs more power on his striking combos, even now. Between him and Matsumoto, Font seems to carry more knockout potential entering UFC Seattle.
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