Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado prediction, pick, start time for UFC 312

Jake Matthews and Francisco Prado meet Saturday in the UFC 312 main card opener at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Last event: 2-3

UFC main cards, 2024: 8-8

Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado UFC 312 preview

Matthews (20-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC) looks to win back-to-back fights for the first time since 2020. The 30-year-old welterweight has traded wins and losses since, but enters this contest following a unanimous decision victory over Phil Rowe at UFC 302 last June. … Prado (12-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will attempt to get back to .500 in the UFC, and will do so in a new division. The 22-year-old former lightweight moves up to welterweight following a unanimous decision loss to Daniel Zellhuber last February.

Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado UFC 312 expert pick, prediction

Opening the paid portion of the card is a welterweight matchup between two former lightweights, Matthews and Prado.

Given Matthews’ size, I can understand why he made the move up to 170 pounds years ago. Prado, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly a huge lightweight – making me question his ceiling for success here.

Don’t get me wrong: Prado is a game fighter who is dangerous early and can be suffocating when allowed to work inside of his range.

The potential problem, however, is that Matthews should hold a sizeable advantage on the floor if he chooses to take it there. Prado won’t make it easy, but I suspect that Matthews can potshot his way to a club-and-sub opportunity come Round 2.