Matyushenko and Brilz Look to Make a Statement at UFC 129
On April 30, 2011 Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (25-5) and Jason “The Hitman” Brilz (18-3-1) will look to stay relevant in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. While a loss for either fighter does not guarantee them a pink slip, the possibility does exist. Both fighters are in the later stages of their career and a loss could be detrimental to fighting and remaining in the UFC.
Matyushenko enters the cage coming off of a first round TKO victory over Alexandre Ferreira at UFC 122 in November. Prior to that, “The Janitor” suffered a devastating TKO loss at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champ Jon “Bones” Jones. Matyushenko will be 40 years old for his bout with Brilz, having reached his 4th decade this past January. If Matyushenko is going to make any type of run at UFC gold, it has to be now.
On the other hand, Brilz is looking to redeem himself after his last bout where he suffered a controversial split decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114 last May. While Brilz is 3-2 since entering the UFC, he has dropped 2 of his last 3 fights in the UFC. However, this assessment may not be as cut and dry as it seems. Both of his losses have come in the form of split decisions. So, while some may argue that a loss for Brilz may result in him being cut from the UFC, a counter argument could be made that he could very easily be 5-0 in the UFC and a seeking a victory over Matyushenko to propel him into the mix within the UFC light heavyweight division.
Matyushenko and Brilz will meet in Toronto at the Rogers Centre. Their bout will be on the televised portion of the PPV. This bout will be an excellent primer for the two highly anticipated title bouts between Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick for the featherweight championship and Georges St. Pierre versus Jake Shields for the welterweight title. Leather will fly in Canada.
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