Vladimir Matyushenko is a long time veteran of the sport, a 31 fight and 14 year veteran and one of the most respected fighters in mixed martial arts. The Janitor also proves he still has some tricks up his sleeve and left in the tank, finishing Jason Brilz in just twenty seconds of their UFC 129 affair.
Matyushenko, who earned his nickname from the US Olympic wrestling team, had stated prior to the fight that he wanted to make a statement. And make a statement he did. Vladimir landed an upper cut and a left hand to the temple of Brilz, dropping him to the canvas. The Janitor followed up with several hammer fists before referee Herb Dean made the move to stop the fight. Brilz protested to Dean, but the stoppage was fair.
“I’ve been working on my striking skills a lot,” Matyushenko told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight.
For Vladimir, the win brings his career record to 26-5 and 4-1 since returning to the octagon, with his only loss coming to current Light Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. The win also marks the 2nd straight victory for Matyushenko, who defeated Alexandre Ferreira by TKO at UFC 122.
With the loss, Jason Brilz drops his 2nd fight in a row for the first time in his career. Brilz had come off a split decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira prior to UFC 129, a fight he took on short notice. Many felt the University of Nebraska-Omaha wrestler should have been awarded the victory, showing impressive wrestling and submission defense against the highly ranked Nogueira.
