The Kyabram native Muay Thai professional, fighting out of Wickham’s Martial Arts Centre in Echuca, is in Cambodia preparing to fight internationally on the Ganzberg Lion Kun Khmer card on June 8.
Matthews is scheduled for a bout against Chan Rothana over three three-minute rounds under the Kun Khmer rule set at 63.5kg.
Kun Khmer is a Cambodian-originated, distinct discipline of martial arts from Matthews' traditional Muay Thai.
While the origins and traditions surrounding the two fighting styles are different, in the ring the rule sets are very similar, so the fight won’t be a significant transition for the Wickham’s fighter.
Matthews is returning to the ring after taking a break from competition at the start of the year.
“It was good for me to take a bit of a break because I've been so active, and I’d just been pushing the pace,” he said.
“It just felt normal to keep training, but taking some time away I've come back and I really think that it's time to level-up now.
“I'm pushing the pace with higher calibre fighters than I have been previously throughout the years, so one thing that I'm able to do now after taking that break is see where I was and adjust some things.”
Matthews fought five times in 2024, kicking off the year with his biggest career win, claiming the WBC Muay Thai Victorian Super Lightweight Championship in February.
After another win in May, Matthews experienced a downturn in results, dropping his last three fights of the year.
Since his return from hiatus, he’s been working on adding new and stronger elements to his game.
“(I’m working on) pushing the pace, being more explosive,” Matthews said.
“I've got a new strength program that I'm really pushing myself through.
“(Providing) more volume in fights and combo-based (offence) instead of just picking one shot and adjusting what I need to do depending on who I'm fighting.
“Instead of trying to use the same game plan for everybody, (to) adjust it depending on what their strengths are.”
The fight came about as a partnership between Matthews’ home promotion, the Melbourne-based Rebellion, and Rebel Kun Khmer.
Rebellion has sent three other Australians; Cale Wild, Jason Scott and Ibrahim Abou Saleh, to Cambodia to feature on the combined card.
Now a 17-fight veteran, with a record of 11-6, Matthews sees the Cambodia trip as a great opportunity to reset his trajectory.
“I'm pretty keen just to get over there and just experience it,” he said.
“Training's hard as usual, harder than ever, and I’m feeling the fittest I've ever been, so I'm pretty excited just to jump back in the ring, especially after some time off.”
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