Jake Matthews returned to the win column in impressive fashion, but the victory was not without some drama.
On the prelims of UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Matthews (19-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) was engaged in a hotly contested battle with Darrius Flowers (12-6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who made his debut on short notice. After a controversial kick landed in the second round, Matthews ended up submitting Flowers at 2:37.
In the opening moments of Round 2, Matthews landed a front kick just above Flowers’ shorts that folded him to the canvas. The top of Matthews’ foot appeared to land clean, but the bottom half also appeared to make contact below the belt line. That’s the story Flowers told to the referee who treated the kick as a low blow.
