Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani wants Jake Matthews next. He made the ask Saturday night at the Meta APEX, shortly after a cageside doctor waved off his fight with Farman Hasanov because of a nasty cut over Hasanov’s left eye. Sherdog and MMA Junkie both reported the callout, and Lebosnoyani explained the pick in his post-fight media session.
His reasoning was simple. Matthews has been around the UFC a long time, and Lebosnoyani wants to keep proving he belongs, as a contender, a prospect, or whatever label people want to hang on him. “I think that he would be a good guy to really test myself against,” he told reporters.
The finish
The win came in the third round of the main card opener at UFC Vegas 123 (also billed as UFC Fight Night 292), and Sherdog scored it a TKO. The cut above Hasanov’s left eye was bad enough that MMA Junkie’s headline described Lebosnoyani as having rearranged his opponent’s face. The UFC’s Spanish-language account posted clips of the closing sequence with the kind of emoji-heavy alarm usually saved for something you can’t unsee.
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It was Lebosnoyani’s first finish inside the Octagon. He’s now 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. Hasanov falls to 5-1 as a pro and 1-1 under the UFC banner.
The matchup on paper was a striker trying to keep a wrestler off him, and Lebosnoyani admitted that part had been eating at him all camp. “The main thing that I was insecure about was his wrestling,” he said. He described himself as someone who always expects the best version of his opponent to show up, which he called a mixed blessing. “I never underestimate anybody, so it’s almost like a gift and a curse because during the camp, I’m very worried about it and I’m thinking about it a lot.”
The worry evaporated early. “Once I defended his first takedown, I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got this,’” he said. He felt Hasanov’s squeeze, survived it, and from there the fight belonged to him.
Building belief
The most striking part of his session had nothing to do with Hasanov. Lebosnoyani talked openly about confidence as something he’s still assembling, fight by fight. He said he has to remind himself that he’s good and that he’s already beaten quality opponents, and looking back at his life so far, he said it’s been “about slowly believing in myself and trusting in myself.”
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That same patience shapes the callout. Lebosnoyani said he wants to climb steadily without taking unnecessary risks, and if the matchmaking is in his hands, he’ll keep raising the level of competition gradually instead of leaping for a name he isn’t ready for. Matthews fits that blueprint: a known quantity with years of UFC experience who would tell Lebosnoyani a lot about where he actually stands. No fight has been announced, and there’s no word yet on whether Matthews has responded.
Quick take
I’ve got zero complaints about the stoppage. Doctors get dragged for waving things off too soon, but a slash above the eye severe enough to earn a “rearranged his face” headline is exactly the situation the doctor is there for, and Hasanov’s vision was the thing at stake. As for the callout, I love it. A guy who’s openly working on believing in himself picks the veteran who’ll test him, skips the ranked name who’d get him clicks, and tells you exactly why. That’s a fighter with a plan. Now he has a finish on his record and three straight UFC wins, so Matthews’ camp gets to decide whether a 3-0 striker with a fresh highlight is worth the risk.
