Fall River born Connor Matthews realizes his dream but loses first UFC fight

After hard work and dedication, a Fall River born fighter finally realized his dream and fought in the UFC for the first time this weekend. The outcome wasn’t what many of us had hoped for.

31-year-old Connor “The Controller” Matthews, an Air Force Combat Controller veteran who lives in East Freetown, defeated undefeated Jair Farias in October by unanimous decision in a featherweight matchup in Dana White’s UFC Contender Series and received a contract from the man himself.

On Saturday, Matthews brought his 7-1 pro MMA record to UFC Fight Night on ESPN at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ against 11-4 Dennis Buzukja from Staten Island, NY.

Matthews started out quickly in round 1 connecting on several shots before Buzukja evened things out by the end of the round.

In round 2, each fighter had their moments with Matthews registering a take down.

Round 3 is where things turned quickly as a few seconds in, Buzukja connected with a punch to the temple, knocking Matthews to the ground and forcing him to cover up. While Matthews blocked many of the shots, too many of them broke through, causing the referee to stop the fight.

Despite the loss, Matthews’ accomplishment still leaves something to be proud of with a fight career that is likely far from over.

Fall River area residents and beyond will be waiting to cheer him on at his next yet to be scheduled fight.