Success is not measured by the longevity of a career, but how much productivity one’s career is able to amount. And Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko certainly adds some truth to that statement.
Following his knockout victory over Jason Brillz at UFC 129, the Belarusian told Ron Kruck of Inside MMA that he feels accomplished to still be competing in mixed martial arts at 40 years old.
“Well it’s a big, big acheivement. For me, myself and for all the industry, for MMA, UFC and for all the fans, I am just glad it happened.”
Holding a professional record of 26-5-0, the UFC veteran has seen it all in MMA, competing in multiple organizations including, UFC, IFL, IFC and Affliction Entertainment.
And despite all the experience that he holds, Matyushenko admits that times have changed.
“It was pretty much fighting in a backyard or the parking lot, and now it ended up being this big in such a short period of time, even I’m surprised,” Matyushenko said.
After collecting a victory over Brillz, Matyushenko has now won five of his last six bouts inside the Octagon, and while he isn’t too savvy on hand picking opponents, there are two competitors who come to mind regarding his next bout.
“I have lost in the UFC to Tito Ortiz, and I have lost to ‘Lil Nog’ (Rogerio Nogueira) and I’d like to take those losses back.”
While the idea of witnessing a rematch between either legend is worth the price of admission, currently both Ortiz and Nogueira are scheduled to square off against Ryan Bader and Rich Franklin at UFC 132 and UFC 133 respectively.
In the meantime, Matyushenko will look to enjoy some time off after his most recent win while he waits for his next challenger to emerge.
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