Dana White and Co. are back with another event at the Apex with UFC Vegas 109. The fight is set to feature a bantamweight star, who made his way into the promotion through the Contender Series, Jean Matsumoto. The 25-year-old will butt heads against Miles Johns, who’s been in the promotion a few more years than his counterpart. But that’s not what we’re going to talk about today.

Jean Matsumoto started off his UFC run with two straight wins but lost the third fight. Nevertheless, he’s young and has shown a lot of promise, as he already has a 15-1 record. So, as he makes his way up the ladder in Dana White’s promotion, let us get to know Matsumoto on a personal note and take a look at his roots and background. Here’s what we know.

Is Jean Matsumoto Brazilian? Ethnicity & nationality

Juan Matsumoto represents Brazil as a professional MMA fighter, and yes, he’s a citizen of the country who was born in Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil. Matsumoto holds a Brazilian passport, but when it comes to his ethnicity, he’s a mix of communities from two countries. As you may already know from his last name, the 25-year-old has roots in Japan, much like former UFC champion and legend, Lyoto Machida.

More than a hundred years ago, there was a massive Japanese immigration to Brazil, with the ship Kasato Maru transporting over 750 Japanese immigrants to the biggest country in South America. Jean Matsumoto is likely to be a descendant of those immigrants. Meanwhile, the bantamweight fighter hasn’t really spoken about his ethnic background in public.

However, when it comes to Jean Matsumoto’s religion, there is no information available in the public domain. Also, there are no records of any mention of his faith in any of his profiles, interviews, or official records. Regardless, let us take a look at Matsumoto’s life growing up.

More about Jean Matsumoto’s early life & background

Born on September 9, 1999, Jean Matsumoto was exposed to martial arts at a very early age. His father trained in Muay Thai and lived in Japan for a while, but after his mother became pregnant, the family decided to return to Brazil. Given that his father had already trained before, Matsumoto claimed that there was no lack of support from his family’s end when it came to his pursuit of fighting, and he started his Muay Thai training.

“He took me to an introduction. I loved it from the first time and had no desire to skip classes. It was my first martial art,” Jean Matsumoto told ‘Sherdog.com’. In another interview, the 25-year-old revealed that he started his training nineteen years ago, and as a big fan of the UFC, it was his goal to make it to the Las Vegas-based promotion. Matsumoto went on to do what he set out to, as he entered the UFC with an undefeated record.

“I started training at six years old, and I decided to move on to MMA at eight years old.. Ever since that happened, I set my goals and said that I was going to be in the UFC,” Jean Matsumoto stated during a post-fight presser in 2023. “Obviously, being so young and having all that experience is very important. I feel ready to be in the UFC.” 

The Brazilian fighter also claimed that he’s ready to be the “employee of the month” for Dana White and Co. and assured Dana White that he’ll fight anybody whenever the promotion asks. Nevertheless, he’s got a tough fight coming up as he needs to get back to his winning ways. Let us know your thoughts on that fight in the comments down below.