Ryan Bader
A pair of bouts have been added to this January’s upcoming UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson event as light heavyweights Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader (14-3) and Vladimir ‘The Janitor’ Matyushenko (26-6) are set to meet, as well as welterweights David ‘Daudi’ Mitchell (11-2) and Simeon ‘The Grin’ Thoresen (17-3-1).
Officials with the UFC announced the news at UFC.com earlier this evening.
Verbal agreements are in for a light heavyweight matchup between heavy-handed wrestlers Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko and Ryan “Darth” Bader January 26 in Chicago.”
Welterweights David “Daudi” Mitchell and Simeon “The Grin” Thoresen have also verbally agreed to meet at that event.
UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson (aka UFC on FOX 6) is expected to take place on January 26, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The main card is expected to air on FOX with the prelim card split between FX and Facebook.
Bader was knocked out in his last outing losing to former 205-lbs champ Lyoto Machida this past August at the UFC on FOX 4 show. The loss ended a two fight win streak for Bader who earned a decision over Quinton Jackson, at UFC 144, and a first round knockout finish of Jason Brilz at UFC 139.
Matyushenko also enters this fight on a loss, having suffered a first round TKO defeat versus Swedish fighter Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 141 almost a year ago. ‘The Janitor’ was expected to return this past September at UFC 152 versus Matt Hamill but damaged his achilles tendon while training and was forced off the Toronto card. His last win came in April 2011, a 20-second knockout of Jason Brilz at UFC 129.
Mitchell has only fought twice in the past two years, losing decisions to Paulo Thiago at UFC 134 in August 2011 and to T.J. Waldburger at UFN 22 in September 2010. The loss to Waldburger ended his undefeated streak at eleven. He had a fight scheduled for this past November at UFC on FUEL TV 6 versus Hyun Gyu Lim after the bout was scrapped after Lim was declared medically unfit following the official weigh-ins.
Thoresen is 1-1 in the UFC, having suffered a first round knockout loss to Seth Baczynski this past September in Toronto at UFC 152. The Norwegian debuted in April in Sweden at UFC on FUEL TV 2, submitting local fighter Besam Yousef in the second round making it three wins in a row for Thoresen.