Vladimir Matyushenko
An undisclosed injury to UFC newcomer Roger Hollett has forced the Canadian fighter out of his debut bout with Matt ‘The Hammer’ Hamill (10-4) as part of UFC 152.
Stepping in for Hollett will be longtime veteran Vladimir ‘The Janitor’ Matyushenko (26-6) who takes his first fight of 2012.
The news was made official by UFC officials earlier today at UFC.com.
The return of Matt Hamill will get a different look on September 22nd, as Roger Hollett is out and Vladimir Matyushenko is in for “The Hammer” in UFC 152 action in Toronto. Both fighters are coming off tough 2011 bouts against rising star Alexander Gustafsson and are eager to get back in the win column when they meet on Canadian soil.
UFC 152: Benavidez vs. Johnson is expected to take place on September 22, 2012 in at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.
Matyushenko hasn’t been in action since last December when he suffered a first round TKO loss to Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 141. The loss ended a two fight win streak for ‘The Janitor’ who picked up wins over Jason Brilz at UFC 129, via 20-second knockout, and versus Alexandre Ferreira at UFC 122, by first round TKO.
Hamill returns from a self-imposed retirement following back-to-back losses in 2011. His last Octagon appearance took place just over a year ago at UFC 133 and saw ‘The Hammer’ suffer a second round TKO loss to Gustafsson. The other loss came via decision against former champ Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in the main event of UFC 130. Hamill’s last win came over his former TUF coach Tito Ortiz at UFC 121, with a victory by decision.