This Friday, MMA veteran Vladimir Matyushenko will step inside the Octagon for the 11th time in his career, facing Alexander Gustafsson on the main card of UFC 141 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently enjoying a two-fight winning streak in the UFC, Matyushenko will look to solidify his place as a Top 10 UFC light-heavyweight against the 16-years-younger Gustafsson.
Matyushenko is 26-5 in his MMA career, with the UFC’s reigning 205-pound champ Jon Jones being the only man to beat the Belarusian since 2009. We had an opportunity to speak to “The Janitor” who shared thoughts about the future of his Mixed Martial Arts career, his experience advantage over Alexander Gustafsson, and the rematch with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira he has been chasing for years.
This Friday, MMA veteran Vladimir Matyushenko will step inside the Octagon for the 11th time in his career, facing Alexander Gustafsson on the main card of UFC 141 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently enjoying a two-fight winning streak in the UFC, Matyushenko will look to solidify his place as a Top 10 UFC light-heavyweight against the 16-years-younger Gustafsson.
Matyushenko is 26-5 in his MMA career, with the UFC’s reigning 205-pound champ Jon Jones being the only man to beat the Belarusian since 2009. We had an opportunity to speak to “The Janitor” who shared thoughts about the future of his Mixed Martial Arts career, his experience advantage over Alexander Gustafsson, and the rematch with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira he has been chasing for years.
Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — The UFC 141 fighters hit the scales as planned at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but not everything went exactly according to plan. Nate Diaz failed to hit the lightweight mark on his first try, coming in at 157 pounds — one …
LAS VEGAS — The UFC 141 fighters hit the scales as planned at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but not everything went exactly according to plan. Nate Diaz failed to hit the lightweight mark on his first try, coming in at 157 pounds — one pound over the 156-pound limit. Although Donald Cerrone indicated he was perfectly willing to give his opponent the excess weight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission was not so quite so lax, giving Diaz one hour to remedy the situation.
In the main event, Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem weighed in at 263 pounds with his jeans on. His opponent, Brock Lesnar, first flexed himself into a frenzy, then stepped on the scales and hit the heavyweight limit at 266 pounds.
After making weight, Lesnar immediately turned and walked off the stage, leaving Overeem alone to share his thoughts with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.The former Strikeforce and K-1 champion drew cheers when he said it felt “very good to finally be in the UFC,” and predicted a “pretty short” night of work for himself, promising a first or second-round knockout.
Alistair Overeem (263) vs. Brock Lesnar (266)
Donald Cerrone (156) vs. Nate Diaz (157)*
Jon Fitch (171) vs. Johny Hendricks (170)
Alexander Gustafsson (203) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
Nam Phan (146) vs. Jimy Hettes (145)
TV prelims (Spike TV)
Ross Pearson (145) vs. Junior Assuncao (145)
Danny Castillo (156) vs. Anthony Njokuani (154)
Prelims (Facebook)
Dong Hyun Kim (171) vs. Sean Pierson (171)
Jacob Volkmann (155) vs. Efrain Escudero (155)
Matt Riddle (170) vs. Luis Ramos (171)
Manny Gamburyan (146) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
UFC 141 is set to take place on Friday, December 30. The main event of the evening will feature a heavyweight scrap between former UFC champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem.Lesnar has not fough…
UFC 141 is set to take place on Friday, December 30. The main event of the evening will feature a heavyweight scrap between former UFC champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem.
Lesnar has not fought since losing the heavyweight crown to Cain Velasquez in October last year. Following that first-round TKO loss, Lesnar was selected to coach on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Junior dos Santos. Lesnar completed his stint as coach on the reality show, but was unable to compete in the coaches’ fight after enduring his second bout with diverticulitis.
The illness forced Lesnar to undergo surgery and he has been on the shelf since that time. The former champ recently spoke to Heavy.com about the results of that surgery.
“I feel the greatest I’ve felt in a long time,” Lesnar said. “I’ve actually just sat and pondered about how good I feel and how fortunate I am just to be back here.”
For his part, Overeem has only been slightly more active than Lesnar as of late, fighting once in December 2010 and once in June 2011. The December bout against Todd Duffee ended in a stunningly fast 19 seconds, while his June bout was a unanimous decision win over Fabricio Werdum.
The winner of Friday’s fight will face Junior dos Santos, who is recovering from knee surgery, for the UFC heavyweight crown at some point in the future.
The weigh-in for UFC 141 will begin at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and Bleacher Report will deliver updates as the fighters step on the scale.
The “Next Big Thing” is starting to look pretty old.Brock Lesnar entered the UFC after only one professional MMA bout and lost in resounding fashion to Frank Mir. Shortly after he claimed the UFC heavyweight title, got revenge on Mir and finally lost t…
The “Next Big Thing” is starting to look pretty old.
Brock Lesnar entered the UFC after only one professional MMA bout and lost in resounding fashion to Frank Mir. Shortly after he claimed the UFC heavyweight title, got revenge on Mir and finally lost the title to Cain Valasquez.
And this Friday we’ll see him for the first time in a year.
Lesnar has always been considered a big draw among casual fans of the sport and this Friday’s pay-per-view will likely draw huge numbers.
But is Lesnar really needed for the UFC to be successful?
Hardly. The UFC is on FOX now and their exposure is only going to keep growing. With every card, national audiences will get to see more and more fighters and get familiar with new faces.
It won’t be long until one particularly exciting fighter starts making headlines.
With the new deal on FOX, the UFC is poised for the fastest growth the company has ever experienced. New fans will start flowing in and picking their favorite fighters.
There will soon be several marketable figures who have the star power of Lesnar through their connection with the casual audience. People will see them for free on FOX and follow them to the pay-per-views.
In just a year or two, don’t expect Brock Lesnar to remain the biggest draw, or even a necessary fighter. That role will be filled by a new fighter, probably one we haven’t even heard of yet.
To view stream, click on the “UFC Live” tab at the bottom of the video player. Then, click on “UFC 141 Weigh-In” and refresh the page at 7:00 pm ET.At UFC 141, Brock Lesnar will return to the Octagon and welcome Alistair Overeem to the UFC. The wi…
To view stream, click on the “UFC Live” tab at the bottom of the video player. Then, click on “UFC 141 Weigh-In” and refresh the page at 7:00 pm ET.
At UFC 141, Brock Lesnar will return to the Octagon and welcome Alistair Overeem to the UFC. The winner of this clash between two heavyweight behemoths will become the next contender to the UFC heavyweight title, which is currently held by Junior dos Santos.
Also, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz will meet in a lightweight tussle that could put the winner within striking distance of a title shot in the 155-pound division. In another main card bout, elite welterweight Jon Fitch will try to make a statement against the up-and-coming Johny Hendricks.
Before Friday’s event, the fighters will hit the scales at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday at 7:00 pm ET.
Video of the weigh-ins will be streamed live on the above video player. After the weigh-ins, stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all the latest on UFC 141 and the rest of your MMA needs.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
All 22 fighters taking part in UFC 141 on Friday night will first step on the scale on Thursday at the UFC 141 weigh-ins and we’ll carry the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.
In the main event, Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem will both have to make the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds. For fans, the weigh-in will be an opportunity to see how Lesnar is looking after more than a year off while battling health problems.
The UFC 141 weigh-in begins at 7 PM ET and the video is below.
All 22 fighters taking part in UFC 141 on Friday night will first step on the scale on Thursday at the UFC 141 weigh-ins and we’ll carry the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.
In the main event, Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem will both have to make the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds. For fans, the weigh-in will be an opportunity to see how Lesnar is looking after more than a year off while battling health problems.
The UFC 141 weigh-in begins at 7 PM ET and the video is below.
LAS VEGAS — The 
All 22 fighters taking part in