UFC 129 in Toronto, Canada is going to be a massive event, not just for the UFC, but for mixed martial arts as a whole. Though this card will feature UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre making a push to become the most popular man in the sport, a number of important fights will take place before he even sets foot in the Octagon. One fight that I’m looking forward to seeing is Jason Brilz versus Vladimir Matyushenko.
The Brilz-Matyushenko matchup has the potential to be the “Fight of the Night.” Over the past few days, a number of MMA outlets have published articles about comments both fighters have made leading up to the confrontation, and while both have stayed respectful, you can tell that each fighter is going to bring his A game, intending to not only win, but to put on a show for MMA fans. We constantly hear fighters give lip service to this idea, as they discuss their plans for their next opponent and how they see the fight going. Still, there’s something about the Brilz-Matyushenko fight that makes me believe they are going to steal the show.
The last time we saw “The Hitman” he was walking out of the Octagon in defeat at UFC 114, although many fans in attendance and at home believed he should have been the victor. Stepping in at the last moment due to injury, Brilz faced off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, losing by a close split decision. Since that fight the UFC light heavyweight has exploded in popularity, though an injury forced Brilz to pull out of a previously set matchup with Matyushenko. Now recovered, Brilz will step back into the cage for the first time in exactly 366 days.
As his nickname “The Janitor” would suggest, it’s hard to imagine that Vladimir Matyushenko does anything other than hard work. A mainstay in MMA since 1997, Matyushenko has battled some of the best in the sport. His resume boasts wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Pedro Rizzo, and Tim Boetsch, and his record stands at 25-5. He is regarded as one of the best fighters to have withstood the test of time in this sport. And while “The Janitor” hasn’t been able to make a leap to the biggest stage in the UFC’s Light Heavyweight Division, he still has a number of fans who enjoy his workmanlike style.
Brilz and Matyushenko are both tough wrestlers who use the ability to ground their opponents to grind out victories. I expect this matchup to hit a stalemate when it comes to the “Takedown vs. Takedown Defense” area. But what I’m looking to see is who pushes the action more when both fighters are on the feet. Brilz pushed Nogueira relentlessly during their 2010 matchup, and while he left openings to get swept and reversed, many people think that his workrate should have won him the fight. Look for more of the same from Brilz, as I expect him to push the action from the very beginning. Matyushenko is a very tough fighter and I don’t think that Brilz will be able to stop him; however I expect his superior workrate to make the difference, leading to a 29-28 unanimous decision victory for the former University of Nebraska wrestler.
