Understandably, most were excited about the news that Eddie Alvarez had signed with the UFC and will meet Donald Cerrone at UFC 178 on September 27, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. Lightweight contender Bobby Green probably wasn’t among those pleased, though. With Alvarez being paired up against Cerrone, Green is left without a scheduled bout. […]
Understandably, most were excited about the news that Eddie Alvarez had signed with the UFC and will meet Donald Cerrone at UFC 178 on September 27, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. Lightweight contender Bobby Green probably wasn’t among those pleased, though. With Alvarez being paired up against Cerrone, Green is left without a scheduled bout. […]
The UFC doesn’t share our misgivings about Cejudo. They just signed the 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medal winner. They also booked him in a fight against a proven quantity in Scott Jorgensen.
Cejudo is 6-0 over Wikipedia-less jobbers. His most recent fight was back in January–a flyweight fight where he missed weight by three pounds. Jorgensen, too is coming off a victory. He defeated Danny Martinez at UFC Fight Night 42. Prior to that, he had dropped three fights straight.
This is an interesting signing, Potato Nation.
The biggest question is whether Cejudo can mentally cope with the big leagues. Judging by the fact that he had trouble dealing with the likes of Legacy FC, we’re not optimistic.
However, the UFC is willing to take the risk–and why not? The flyweight division is devoid of anyone that can even remotely be considered a draw. And, as Luke Thomas noted, Cejudo’s ability to speak Spanish would be a boon to the UFC’s efforts in Latin America provided he string a few wins together.
But even if Cejudo loses, it doesn’t matter. This fight is taking place on UFC 177–the card TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao is headlining–so it’s unlikely anyone will see it happen.
The UFC has secured highly touted Polish light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz, a move that adds a little more depth to the light-on-talent division. This is great news, as Blachowicz was considered one of the best 205ers not with the company. Poland, like Russia and Hawaii, has recently become a hotbed for MMA talent, as seen […]
The UFC has secured highly touted Polish light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz, a move that adds a little more depth to the light-on-talent division. This is great news, as Blachowicz was considered one of the best 205ers not with the company. Poland, like Russia and Hawaii, has recently become a hotbed for MMA talent, as seen […]
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will be holding a press conference Friday, via The Montreal Journal (translation via Mixedmartialarts.com), but don’t hold your breath on anything major coming out of it. According to an interview Tuesday with Sportsnet, UFC President Dana White said GSP has been scheduled to appear at a mall opening for months and […]
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will be holding a press conference Friday, via The Montreal Journal (translation via Mixedmartialarts.com), but don’t hold your breath on anything major coming out of it. According to an interview Tuesday with Sportsnet, UFC President Dana White said GSP has been scheduled to appear at a mall opening for months and […]
Ben Askren very well may be one of the best welterweight fighters on the planet but Dana White has no interest in signing him to the UFC roster. With Bellator releasing word their 170-pound champion has officially become an unrestricted free agent, the spotlight shifted to the UFC and what moves—if any—they would make to […]
Ben Askren very well may be one of the best welterweight fighters on the planet but Dana White has no interest in signing him to the UFC roster. With Bellator releasing word their 170-pound champion has officially become an unrestricted free agent, the spotlight shifted to the UFC and what moves—if any—they would make to […]
Despite being one of many fighters released from the UFC in February, forty-two year old Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko won’t be hanging up his gloves just yet. Earlier today, Bellator announced that they have signed the former IFL champion to compete at a future event. While it was announced that Matyushenko will be making his promotional debut in a non-tournament bout, neither a date for the fight nor a prospective opponent have been named yet.
In a news release posted on Bellator’s website, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney appeared very optimistic about the signing. “Vladimir is a fighter I’ve watched for years. He’s an exciting fighter with an incredible wrestling background and a great pedigree in our sport. When the opportunity presented itself and we had the chance to have him join the Bellator family it was a very easy decision to make,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Scott Hirano/LowKick.com
Despite being one of many fighters released from the UFC in February, forty-two year old Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko won’t be hanging up his gloves just yet. Earlier today, Bellator announced that they have signed the former IFL champion to compete at a future event. While it was announced that Matyushenko will be making his promotional debut in a non-tournament bout, neither a date for the fight nor a prospective opponent have been named yet.
In a news release posted on Bellator’s website, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney appeared very optimistic about the signing. “Vladimir is a fighter I’ve watched for years. He’s an exciting fighter with an incredible wrestling background and a great pedigree in our sport. When the opportunity presented itself and we had the chance to have him join the Bellator family it was a very easy decision to make,” he said.
“With our Champion Attila Vegh sitting at the top of the mountain right now, and with guys like Emanuel Newton, Mikhail Zayats and King Mo coming on strong, the light heavyweight division for Bellator continues to evolve and Vladimir should fit in perfectly to that mix.”
Of course, Matyushenko also joins the ranks of fellow UFC washouts Seth Petruzelli and Renato “Babalu” Sobral, but let’s not talk about that right now.
Matyushenko may bring an impressive resume into his Bellator tenure, but how much of an impact can he actually make on the promotion? Bellator’s light-heavyweight division is extremely competitive, and the tournament format won’t exactly be an advantage for an aging fighter. Will “The Janitor” put together one last title run in Bellator, or will he be an also-ran in the promotion’s surprisingly deep light-heavyweight division?
