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UFC 129 Results: Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko Destroys Jason Brilz

UFC 129 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was a fight card packed with amazing matchups. Some of the night’s highlights included a flying triangle choke by Pablo Garza, a beautifully executed spinning back fist by John Makdessi, Rory M…

UFC 129 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was a fight card packed with amazing matchups.

Some of the night’s highlights included a flying triangle choke by Pablo Garza, a beautifully executed spinning back fist by John Makdessi, Rory MacDonald elevated his MMA record to 11-1 with a decisive victory over Octagon veteran and Season 5 of the Ultimate Fighter winner, Nate Diaz.

Additionally, Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick displayed brilliance in their fighting styles as they clashed for the UFC featherweight title. Randy Couture’s retirement matchup ended in a defeat at the foot of Lyoto Machida and Georges St-Pierre endured a rather non-eventful title fight against Jake Shields.

Amongst all these amazing fights, one devastating knockout did not receive much publicity and the fight was over before you could grab a snack.

The 40 year old Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko relied on his 14 years of experience as a professional ultimate fighter to defeat the 35-year-old Jason Brilz by knockout in a mere 20 seconds into round one.

Aggressive from the onset, Matyushenko delivered a flurry of punches at Brilz landing one jaw-rattling strike after another en route to his 26th professional victory.

This former collegiate wrestler has competed worldwide in numerous venues including the International Fight League and Affliction.

Making his second stint in the UFC, Vladimir’s first run at championship gold was met in defeat by the hands of Tito Ortiz at UFC 33 in 2001.

Primed to make another championship run, don’t let “The Janitor’s” age deceive you. Light on his feet and with tremendous boxing skills and an unmatched level of explosiveness, Matyushenko is still a dynamic fighter within the UFC light heavyweight division.

Considering the UFC light heavyweight division is stacked with talent including the current champion, Jon Jones, who has already defeated Matyushenko, a chance at a title will be an arduous endeavor. But one that Vladimir welcomes with open arms.

Keep your eyes on Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko as he continues to mount up victories waiting for the opportunity to regain a title contention opportunity in the future.

I welcome your comments.

Todd Seyler

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UFC: Jake Shields Hopes for Another Shot at Belt Before Retirement

Jake Shields clearly wanted to get Georges St-Pierre to the ground at UFC 129 and he tried to do just that for a round or so. Then, at some point, he lost focus and decided to try and trade shots with the champion. It was a horrible idea an…

It was the first loss for Jake Shields in over six years and clearly he was not happy with his performance after the fight.

MMAjunkie.com was there to get his thoughts. Shields told MMAjunkie, “Obviously I’m not happy. I went in there, and I came up short. Georges has great stand-up, and he kept me away. I couldn’t get him down. He did a great job of stuffing my shots.”

Shields failed to close the distance, get the clinch and take the fight to the ground. He admitted that he was no match for the boxing and overall standup prowess of the champion. “I guess I need to go back, work on my boxing, and get better,” Shields admitted.

Shields showed remorse over not trying to get the fight to the ground but he had few weapons to turn to when he when his takedown attempts failed.

Shields lamented about his gameplan and how it was a failure. “I don’t know. He stuffed my first couple shots. I don’t know why I started boxing him. I should have just started shooting. It’s easy to look back now and be like, ‘I really screwed that up.’ Georges is a great fighter. He fought great. He was evasive, and I couldn’t get after him. He had a great game plan.”

Shields vowed to make improvements and to eventually make it back to contender status. “Hopefully before I retire, I’ll get another title shot,” he said.

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Lyoto Machida Says He "Felt More Aggressive" Against Randy Couture at UFC 129

Lyoto Machida silenced his detractors and reentered himself into the title picture following his knockout of Randy Couture at UFC 129. Machida, who was on a two-fight losing streak, attempted a flying crane kick that landed precisely on his oppone…

Lyoto Machida silenced his detractors and reentered himself into the title picture following his knockout of Randy Couture at UFC 129.

Machida, who was on a two-fight losing streak, attempted a flying crane kick that landed precisely on his opponent’s chin, dropping him in the process. It’s a win he desperately needed and a win he credited to his training regiment.

“I increased my training, demanding more from my sparrings, and I felt comfortable in every single situation,” Machida explained to TATAME.com following his victory.

Machida continued saying he focused more on his karate and implemented different training techniques and a nutrition plan in order to prepare for the light heavyweight bout. And while he did change a few things during his training camp, “The Dragon” said he stuck to his roots that helped him become UFC light heavyweight champion not too long ago.

“I felt myself more aggressive… I kept my style, but with an upgrade,” Machida said.

He credits the upgrade to his father, Yoshizo Machida and actor / martial artist, Steven Seagal, who helped Machida perfect his flying crane kick, ultimately earning “Knockout of the Night” honours.

“When I started my preparation, after I did a hernia surgery, I couldn’t do everything in training, so my father told me to train three or four types of kicks and use them in sparring, but very carefully, because they hurt a lot, it’s like the elbow. When I came to Canada I met Steven Seagal, and he told “Lyoto, this kick will hit”. But I wasn’t worried to use it or not, I’d do it if the opportunity came. I came more relaxed to the second round and hit that.”

The highlight reel knockout has drawn comparisons to friend and teammate, Anderson Silva, who also landed a front kick that knocked out his opponent, Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

And now that Machida has regained his form after picking up the win, there have been fans demanding Machida take on newly crowned champion, Jon Jones as there are some who believe Machida’s style could potentially pose problems for the 23 year old.

But for now, Machida is content to wait and see the division work itself out and look to inch closer to title bout one fight at a time.

“I don’t think too much far away, I take step by step. I know every fight is important to become better. I don’t have that pressure to become the champion again. I’ll get that chance,” Machida said.

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Jon Fitch Says He and GSP Both Deserve Some Criticism for Decisions

Few fighters can claim to be as familiar as Jon Fitch is with the criticism UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is getting these days. Like GSP, Fitch is a dominant 170-pounder who’s known for winning decisions. Also like GSP, he’s taken heat …

But if you’re expecting Fitch to be especially sympathetic to St. Pierre’s cause after UFC 129 ended in the fourth straight decision win for the champ, you might be surprised by what he told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

“A little bit,” Fitch replied, when asked whether the criticism of St. Pierre is warranted. “I think, you know, I deserve some of that criticism too. But when he’s dominating somebody that well, I think it’s up to the champ to put a little more pressure on somebody in the fourth and fifth round. When you’ve secured a pretty solid lead on the scorecards after three rounds, I think a little bit more pressure, because he never really opened up more than a couple jabs and an overhand right. I mean, double up on the right, something.”

Cesar Gracie Says Nick Diaz Wants Revenge for Shields Loss

A week ago, the world was buzzing about Nick Diaz’s possible professional boxing debut, but after watching his teammate and close friend Jake Shields drop a unanimous decision to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, the Stockton native i…

A week ago, the world was buzzing about Nick Diaz‘s possible professional boxing debut, but after watching his teammate and close friend Jake Shields drop a unanimous decision to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, the Stockton native is eager to slip back into a pair of four ounce gloves.

“Obviously, there’s a storyline behind it,” Diaz’s trainer Cesar Gracie said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com.

“Shields just lost a decision, and Nick wants some revenge for that. Nick is very confident that he can defeat St-Pierre.”

As Strikeforce welterweight champion, Diaz has amassed a 10 fight win streak and three consecutive title defenses. He has made multiple comments in the past about his dissatisfaction with the lack of competition and big payday.

Recently, he has turned his interest to the world of boxing and a plethora of possible debut opponents have already been rumored, including Fernando Vargas and IBF champion Jeff Lacy.

What would it take to keep Diaz under the MMA umbrella and set up a superfight with St-Pierre?

“Look, [UFC executive] Lorenzo [Fertitta] can do whatever he wants at this point. The guy signing the checks is the guy making the decisions,” said Gracie.

“There’s a couple of roadblocks, and I think the least of which is Nick’s contract with Strikeforce. That would be a roadblock if we chose not to take the fight against Georges St-Pierre.

“But obviously, that wouldn’t happen. The biggest thing is that Nick’s Strikeforce contract dictates that he can box in 2011, and we’ve gone pretty far into that process. It’s still a work in progress, but we’re just about there.”

A bout between St-Pierre and Diaz could instantly become a blockbuster. Diaz’s aggressive style could force the UFC champion into some interesting positions, but does he have what it takes to succeed where Shields failed?

Skeptics would point out Diaz’s previous struggles with strong wrestlers. Towards the end of his UFC tenure, he lost three consecutive bouts to Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Joe Riggs.

St-Pierre is often considered the best wrestler in all of MMA.

It could be a tough style match-up for Diaz, who hasn’t faced a high caliber wrestler since leaving the UFC, but Gracie isn’t worried about skeptics. He believes that Diaz matches up well with St-Pierre, and a bout between the two could present fans with the intriguing welterweight title fight they’ve all been waiting for.

“[Nick’s] a guy that could press the action against GSP and not let GSP dictate the pace. GSP has been a great champ, and hats off to him, but there has been criticism that he’s not really taking risks,” stated Gracie.

“With Nick, you have the ultimate risk-taker. He will fight you at your game. He throws caution to the wind, really, because he’s more interested in beating you up than winning on points. I think that makes for an intriguing match-up between the two.”

At the UFC 129 post-fight presser, UFC President Dana White seemed open to the possibility of a bout between St-Pierre and Diaz, but a few hurdles would have to be cleared for the fight to actually become a reality.

Diaz will likely continue in his pursuit of a professional boxing bout, unless he gets the lucrative MMA bout he’s been waiting for.

“It would take Lorenzo and Dana to really come into this and show us how it could happen,” said Gracie.

“It would have to make financial sense for everybody. So, we’re waiting just like everybody else to see what they have in mind, and I’m more than happy to listen to their suggestions.”

(SportsHaze.com)

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Lyoto Machida Demonstrates Front Kick Two Years Before Using It at UFC 129

Another Black House fighter, another front-kick knockout victory and another claim by Steven Seagal that he trained that fighter on that particular kick.At UFC 129, Lyoto Machida used a front kick to knockout out Randy Couture that was very reminiscent…

Another Black House fighter, another front-kick knockout victory and another claim by Steven Seagal that he trained that fighter on that particular kick.

At UFC 129, Lyoto Machida used a front kick to knockout out Randy Couture that was very reminiscent of the kick that Anderson Silva used to put away Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

If you recall, in postfight interviews, Steven Seagal was more than happy to take credit for showing Silva that kick.

After Machida’s victory on Saturday, Seagal spoke to Inside MMA, again taking credit for the knockout kick.

“It’s a little variation (on the Silva kick), I’ve been working with Lyoto very, very hard on a lot of different stuff. He did exactly what we’ve been working on and he did it well,” Seagal said.

The good folks over at MiddleEasy.com have uncovered a video that was uploaded to YouTube back in November of 2009 that shows Machida in a training video demonstrating the kick that he used to KO Couture.

Interesting stuff.

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