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Part 2 The Janitor Locked In for UFC on VERSUS
Vladimir Matyushenko ready for VERSUS ©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC On
March 21, Vladimir Matyushenko (23-4-0) will be returning to the cage to
do battle with Eliot Marshal (8-1-0) at the 1STBANK Center (formerly
Odeum Colorado) in Broomfield, Colorado. UFC.com announced the
event will “Air live on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET marking the debut of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) on VERSUS and the first time
that a live UFC event will air on a national sports cable network.” Vladimir
and Eliot both had unanimous victories at UFC 103 when they last stepped
into the Octagon, with Matyushenko defeating Igor Pokrajac, and Marshal
securing a win over Jason Brilz. “The Janitor” was also booked
on the UFC 108 card before Steve Cantwell withdrew from the bout,
leaving Matyushenko on standby for the main event. Unfortunately,
Vladimir did not get to show his goods that night, but it raised the
question, “What if?” The
Janitor first fought in the Octagon on June 29, 2001, at UFC 32 when he
defeated Yuki Kondo, and today Vladimir is still ranked one of the
world’s top light heavyweights, having won 13 of his last 15 fights. Also
doing very well is Vladimir’s VMAT Gym in El Segundo, California,
which is open to the public.
“VMAT
Training Facility is going great. We are catering our services and
coaching for all different levels. We have kids’ classes,
recreational classes, and pro fighter classes as well. I have a
number of guys who are fighting in the UFC and in other promotions,”
says Matyushenko. Included
in the big names utilizing VMAT are Jared Hamman, Antoni Hardonk, and
Steve Magdaleno, and the Janitor says he trains with them as part
of his fight preparation. “Yes, definitely. I train
with all of the fighters at VMAT. We also rotate on who will
assume the coaching responsibilities depending on who is fighting at
that time. For example, Antoni Hardonk at the moment is coaching
both Jared Hamman and me for our upcoming UFC fights.” Vladimir,
what areas of MMA did you train Lyoto Machida in? “We
trained in all the disciplines that make up MMA.” You
won all six of your bouts in the IFL. Were you sorry to see the
IFL shut up shop? “Yes,
it was unfortunate. They tried to make a positive contribution to
the sport, and I am proud to have been a part of that.
Unfortunately, they had a business model that was unable to sustain
itself.” After
Steve Cantwell withdrew from his bout with you at UFC 108, you were on
standby for the main event in case there was another scratching.
How did you feel about the prospect of going into that fight (Rashad
Evans vs. Thiago Silva)? “I felt great. I truly believe that I could have made a great fight with either one of them.”
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac You’ve
won 10 of your last 11 matches. Were you confident you could have
caused an upset if you had competed in the main event? “I
like playing the role of the underdog. If you carefully look at my
record, I have been known for making upsets. I also feel that I am
a marketable fighter for a promotion because of that quality. In
my wrestling career it was the same as well.” How
is your son, Roman, doing? Is he pursuing an MMA career or
baseball, or both? “Roman
is great. He is training in MMA with my best fighters. He is
going to take some time off because he just enlisted with the Air Force.
He will be leaving for his basic training on March 30th. I am very
proud of my son.” You
have an impressive MMA record of 23-4, with two of those losses being to
Antonio Nogueira and Tito Ortiz. And you’ve said you’d like to
avenge those losses. Has the UFC shown any interest in facing you
against either of them? “The
UFC are the best promotion when it comes to matchmaking. They are
an organization that always gives the fans what they want to see.
I believe when the time comes I will get those two opportunities.
The fans have an interest in seeing this rubber match and rematch.” How
is your standup game coming along? “It
has been good. I’m working a lot with Antoni Hardonk. He
is a great coach. Hopefully, my next fight I can show what I have
got.” Who
are you training with for your standup? “Antoni
Hardonk is my primary striking coach. There are other guys that
Antoni has brought from Holland that have added great value for both
Jared Hamman and me.” Your
most recent bout was the victory over Igor Pokrajac at UFC 103. It
was disappointing that that fight was not featured on p-p-v. Do
you expect your next UFC fight will be aired on p-p-v? “My
next fight will be on March 21st for the UFC on VERSUS, and I will be on
the preliminary card. If all goes well, I plan on being on the
main card soon.” Do
you know who your opponent will be? “Yes,
I am fighting Eliot Marshal. The card is stacked from top to
bottom.” Do
you have your sights set for a title challenge? “Of
course. I am a competitor and I always set my goals high.” Vladimir
Matyushenko’s sponsors? “Many
thanks to Tokyo 5, Tapout, and Drako Fight Shorts. Also, keep a
strong look out for my signature Tapout T-shirt that will hit the market
on February 15. The shirt looks great and we have received great
responses from it!!” Vladimir,
is there anything you’d like to add? “I would like to thank the fans because none of us would be here without them. Also, the UFC, my training partners, coaches, and my manager. We are all on this journey together!”
For more on Vladimir Matyushenko: http://vladthejanitor.com.
VLADIMIR
MATYUSHENKO The Janitor Is Ready to Clean Up
©
Marc Wickert photos
© IFL For
the Sabres’ light heavyweight member, Vladimir Matyushenko, enrolling
in wrestling was a natural thing: “I grew up in the small town of
Retchisa in Belarus, and it was something to do to get out of town to
see other places in the world. If you wrestled well it could take you to
other cities and countries, and that worked out pretty good,” says
Matyushenko. Some
years later, in 1994,Vladimir quit the Belarus wrestling team while
competing in New York, because he thought America could offer him a
better lifestyle. “I’d been to America before and I saw a lot of
opportunities – I had the language barrier, but so far so good. I
learnt it. It was pretty hard, but if we were back in ’94, I would do
the same thing again.” With
few material possessions, Vladimir came armed with a wealth of
experience and the peculiar nickname of ‘The Janitor’, which he
explains: “I guess somebody saw me clean up the mats back in Russia
when the American team came over to wrestle, and I beat one of the best
guys on their team. So they started laughing and called me ‘The
Janitor.’” On
September 26, 2003, Vladimir was pitted against fellow Belarus fighter,
Andrei Arlovski, at UFC 44. But despite Matyushenko’s putting up an
amazing fight against Arlovski in a bout dubbed The Battle of Belarus,
Vladimir appeared to be more the light heavyweight competing against a
much bigger heavyweight. After
mounting such a courageous challenge, The Janitor says he still was not
happy with his performance. “I should have waited a little bit –
especially with heavy guys. I went too crazy and wanted to finish it too
quickly. And that’s what happens with heavier guys – you have to
stay around and make them tire a little bit. “And secondly, I don’t know why they say it was one of the best knockouts: It was not a knockout, it was a knockdown. If you get hit with a bag of potatoes that weighs 260 pounds, you’re going to fall down, but you can still get up and fight again. It’s not only with my fight – I think they should change the rules; especially for heavyweights because if you get hit by heavyweights you fall down, but that doesn’t mean you’re knocked out.”
Vladimir, I believe you temporarily retired from competition after sustaining a facial injury; is that correct? “No,
that’s not correct. (Sounding perplexed) I was not temporarily out –
I’ve been competing in submissions… And I did not get facial
injuries…” Have
you heard that story before? “No.
Where did you hear that?” I read it on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – they said: “His career was cut short by a severe injury to his face, which rendered him unable to realistically continue his career…” “That’s
a rumor. I had a bloody nose once from a fight in Brazil, but that’s
about it. I haven’t stopped competing and I’ve had a couple of
submission fights, but I’ve been waiting for something to come along
like this (IFL). I think it’s come at the right time. After my last
few fights I didn’t know where the MMA industry was going to go, and I
think this is the right way for it to go.” Where
do you train now? “Los Angeles.”
Are
you still with Rico Chiaparelli? “Well,
not lately – since they set up the Sabres I just train with my team
now. I haven’t been training with Rico since just after Christmas.” How
did you come to be in the Sabres? “They
called me up and I agreed: I mean, I didn’t agree right away, but they
told me all about the IFL and the more I was thinking about it, the more
I liked the idea, and so far so good. They treat me well and we’ll see
what happens.” Oleg Taktarov said he liked the American women and the cars. Is that the case with you? (Laughs)
“No, not really. We have beautiful women back in Russia too. I
definitely have good experiences in America, but that’s not the only
reason for my coming here.” Are
you happy to be fighting back at light heavyweight now? “Yes;
as a matter of fact I made the weight the day before, so it was no
problem. Either way, I can fight heavyweight or light heavyweight.” Vladimir,
is there anything you’d like to add? “I’m
happy to be back: Like you said before, I took a long break, but it was
not to quit – just a long break, and now I’m happy to come back and
I feel good about myself. I made my weight and I’m ready to go.” Sponsors? “HCK Kimonos.”
Vladimir Matyushenko’s stats: Nickname:
The Janitor MMA
record: 15-3 Division:
Light Heavyweight Stance:
Orthodox Height: 6'0" Date
of birth: 4 January ’71 Birthplace:
Retchisa, Belarus Home:
Los Angeles, California Team:
Sabres Coach:
Ken Yasuda For more on Vladimir Matyushenko: www.ifl.tv.
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