UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko Preview and Predictions
The UFC returns to Versus for their second event on the network. Jon Jones headlined the first UFC show on the network, and after making quick work of Brandon Vera on that night, Jones returns main event status as he takes on veteran Vladimir Matyushenko. The co-main event features Yushin Okami against Mark Munoz.
Tyson Griffin vs. Takanori Gomi: Gomi made his long-awaited UFC debut against Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 21, but looked like a shell of the fighter who dominated the lightweight division in PRIDE for so long. He was outclassed from bell to bell by Florian, who eventually finished the fight with a rear-naked choke in the third round. The loss was Gomi’s third loss in his last five fights. Gomi was scheduled to fight Joe Stevenson, but an injury to Stevenson forced him off the card. Griffin stepped in on short notice. Griffin is coming off a split-decision loss to Evan Dunham at UFC 115, but still sports an impressive 8-3 record in the UFC. During his UFC tenure, Griffin has beaten the likes of Hermes Franca, Clay Guida, Marcus Aurelio, and Gleison Tibau, and also defeated Urijah Faber prior to his UFC debut. Griffin is a solid wrestler with good kickboxing, though he doesn’t possess true knockout power. His fights are always exciting, and he sets a fast pace. Gomi would win this fight if he was in his prime, but unfortunately, I think he’s nearly done as a fighter. If Griffin decides to get in a slugfest with Gomi, he could definitely get knocked out. However, I think Griffin will utilize his wrestling more than he has in recent fights, and that will get him the decision victory. Griffin via unanimous decision.
John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger: Howard has begun his UFC career in style, winning his first four fights, his last two by knockout. He made his debut at UFC 94, defeating Chris Wilson via split decision. He followed that up with another split decision win over Tamdan McCrory at UFC 101, before knocking out Dennis Hallman at the Ultimate Fighter 10 finale (a fight he was losing until the final seconds) and over Daniel Roberts at the first UFC Live event. Ellenberger made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 19, where he nearly scored a big upset over Carlos Condit but ended up dropping a close split decision. He followed up that performance with a 2nd round TKO over Mike Pyle at UFC 108. Howard is a pretty well rounded fighter, combining solid and powerful striking with a decent wrestling game. Ellenberger is mainly a wrestler, and a pretty good one at that. He’ll also have a few inches of reach advantage over Howard in this contest. The biggest skill set in this fight is Ellenberger’s wrestling, and that will win him this fight. There may be some tense moments, but Ellenberger will end up with the decision victory. Ellenberger via unanimous decision.
Yushin Okami vs. Mark Munoz: Munoz is coming off an exciting 2nd round victory over Kendall Grove at UFC 112 in a fight that nearly saw him beaten in the 1st round. Munoz came back in the 2nd round and used some brutal ground n’ pound to finish Grove. Munoz is 3-1 in the UFC, with a knockout loss to Matt Hamill as the only blemish on his record. Okami was once a top contender in the middleweight division, but has fallen back somewhat due to a somewhat methodical style as well as a lopsided loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 104. He was once one of the stronger fighters in the middleweight division, but was manhandled somewhat at the hands of Sonnen. Like Sonnen, Munoz’s strength is his wrestling. He was a national champion at Oklahoma State but for some reason prefers to keep fights standing in the cage. He also has a very powerful ground n’ pound attack. Okami may struggle somewhat with the wrestling ability of Munoz if he uses it. Okami should be the stronger striker of the two, though he has never been known as a great striker himself. Munoz is still young in the sport and is prone to mistakes, the kind of mistakes a veteran like Okami can exploit. However, Munoz can be explosive if he used his wrestling well in the cage. This is a toss-up for me, but I think that Munoz’s wrestling ability wins out in the end. Munoz via unanimous decision.
Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko: Matyushenko is a solid veteran light heavyweight. He rattled off an eight-fight winning streak from 2005-2008, before having it ended by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He had beaten Nogueira in their first contest in 2002. Matyushenko fought for the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 33 in 2001, but lost a unanimous decision to Tito Ortiz. After the loss to Ortiz, Matyushenko came back to defeat Travis Wiuff and Pedro Rizzo at UFC 40 and UFC 41 before losing to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 44. After the loss to Arlovski, Matyushenko fought mainly for the IFL, claiming their light heavyweight championship. He returned to the UFC at UFC 103, winning a unanimous decision over Igor Pokrajac. He followed that up with a split-decision win over Eliot Marshall at the first UFC Live event. Jones is one of the best prospects in the sport. He destroyed Brandon Vera at the first UFC Live event, winning by TKO in the first. The win improved his record to 4-1 in the UFC, with the only loss coming to Matt Hamill via DQ in a fight he was dominating. He comes from a Greco-Roman wrestling background, but is an explosive and creative striker as well. He recently made the switch to Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico. Jackson is admittedly working on eliminating some of the risk-taking out of Jones’ game. It’s fun to watch on TV, but opens him up to the possibilty of being caught. The Matyushenko fight is a good step for Jones. He’ll get to take on a tough veteran with a very solid wrestling game who has the ability to grind out a decision against him. Unfortunately for Matyushenko, that’s the only way I see him possibly winning the fight. However, Jones has the potential to win the fight standing, with positional wrestling, or with the vicious ground n’ pound he’s displayed on a couple of occasions. Jones will continue to rise up the rankings with another dominant win. Jones via TKO in the 2nd.
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