Former UFC flyweight Tateki Matsuda earned his second straight victory this past Friday night at Legacy FC 51 in Minnesota as he defeated Joe Pearson by submission in the first round.
Matsuda (12-7) weathered an early storm by Pearson and ended up getting Pearson to tap to punches with eleven seconds in the round. Getting the victory is the ultimate goal and he is hoping to get back to the UFC, which he knows that they are looking for guys on the regional scene to win by stoppage and not by decision.
“I always go for the finish. Let’s say I keep winning in local, but it’s all decision,” Matsuda told The MMA Report. “I do not think the UFC will pick me. Because people want to watch finishing the fight and exciting fights. That is my job and I did my best. I finished the fight in the first round and that was it.”
With the victory over Pearson, Matsuda now has six career victories by stoppage and his last two stoppage victories have come by submission. His previous submission win came at CES 25 in 2014 as he defeated Robbie Leroux and that victory would lead to him going to the UFC.
Obviously, Matsuda is happy that he was able to get the stoppage victory. Especially since UFC President Dana White was in attendance at Legacy FC 51 and that could play a potential role in Matsuda getting back to the UFC quicker than if White was not in attendance. However, Matsuda is just like any other fighter as they will point out the negatives of the fight and what he needs to improve on going forward.
“I wanted to knock him out. A clean knockout on my feet,” Matsuda explained. “It was not the desire. I was really confident with my hands and kicks. I knew I was going to knock him out. But things went to the ground and the negative thing was I could not check the cage because of the rules meeting and the schedule change. There is no excuse. Things happen. I did not expect the cage to be slippery. When I got close to the cage and I lost my balanced. I went to his battlefield, which I should not do that. Especially fighting at a top level. If I am fighting and keep winning at the top level, I have to do my game all the time.”
As Matsuda looks to the future, he is hoping to stay busy and is looking to return to competition in the next couple of months. With the lack of flyweights in the northeast, it would seem likely that Matsuda’s next fight will take place outside of the northeast since there is a lack of 125 fighters in that area for him to compete against. If he can continue to win and those victories come by stoppage, it would seem like it’s only a matter of time before he gets another opportunity in the UFC.