UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem will feature action in the Light Heavyweight division as veteran Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5; 7-3 UFC) faces Alexander Gustafsson (12-1; 4-1 UFC). This 205 pound fight is the second on the PPV card. The USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings currently have Matyushenko as the #18 ranked Light Heavyweight in the world and Gustafsson a few spots above him at #13. The PPV card begins Friday night at the later start time of 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

Matyushenko vs. Gustafsson is the classic example of old veteran gatekeeper vs. new guard up and comer. The Janitor has been rather comfortable in that role since coming back to the UFC, vanquishing the hopes of men like Jason Brilz. In fact, the only fighter he has let get past him is Jon Jones, and that obviously turned out quite well for Bones. The question for this fight then is which way will the 24 year old Gustafsson go? Will he establish himself as a new name alongside those like Jones, Evans, and Machida in the division's upper ranks? Or will he fall back and have to regroup?

How do these two stack up?

Matyushenko: 40 years old | 6'1" | 74" reach
Gustafsson: 24 years old | 6'5" | 76.5" reach

What have these two done recently?

Matyushenko: W - Jason Brilz (KO) | W - Alexandre Ferreira (TKO) | L - Jon Jones (TKO)
Gustafsson: W - Matt Hamill (TKO) | W - James Te Huna (Sub) | W - Cyrille Diabate (Sub)

How did these two get here?

Vladimir Matyushenko is about as old school as you get. The 40 year old fighter has been around the sport for years and fought many of the best all over the world, including a UFC Light Heavyweight title shot years ago against Tito Ortiz. It's a testament to his dedication that he remains a top 20 fighter in this stacked division. Honestly, the Janitor is never going to win a world title, never move too much further up than where he is now - but he's the kind of veteran that makes the sport great, and it's good to see him not simply still competing, but still winning.

Gustafsson is only 4-1 in the UFC, but he has already picked up a lot of hype. That hype train gained momentum in his last fight - a destruction of Matt Hamill that sent Hamill into retirement. This is his shot at a coming out party. The Swedish fighter is in some ways reminiscent of champion Jon Jones - a lanky fighter who is young and explosive and dangerous in all aspects of the game. I'm very excited to see what his future holds, and this fight is a big step on that path.

Why should you care?

Because you want to know if Gustafsson has the skills to pass this test. If he puts Matyushenko away impressively, welcome a new name to the Light Heavyweight title hunt.

More UFC 141 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

• UFC 141 Judo Chop: Brock Lesnar Evolves From Athlete to Mixed Martial Artist Inside Three Years - Ben Thapa
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Complete Career Retrospective Part 2 - Fraser Coffeen
• UFC 141's Brock Lesnar F-5's a Shark for Summer Slam - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Stare Down and Weigh-In Highlights - Anton Tabuena
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Vs. Alistair Overeem Weigh Ins Gallery And Results - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141: Dana White On Miguel Torres Backlash, Previous Overeem Comments, Brock Lesnar - Josh Nason
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Vs. Alistair Overeem Staff Predictions
• UFC 141: The Existential Crisis That Awaits the Loser of Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem - David Castillo
• UFC 141: Nam Phan vs. Jimy Hettes Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141: The Laughable Scrutiny That Saved Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar - Leland Roling
• UFC 141's Brock Lesnar Survives Botched Shooting Star Press at Wrestlemania 19 - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: Jon Fitch's Trainer Says Fans Who Criticize His Style Don't Understand MMA - Brent Brookhouse
• Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 116: UFC 141/DREAM Roundtable - Matt Bishop
• UFC 141 On Spike TV: Pearson vs. Assuncao, Njokuani vs. Castillo Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141 Dana White Video Blog - Day 2 Focuses On Fastest Knockout - Josh Nason
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Career Retrospective Part 1 - Fraser Coffeen
• UFC 141 Pre-Event Press Conference: Watch Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem Speak - Josh Nason
• UFC 141: Alistair Overeem Says Bout With Brock Lesnar is More Than Wrestler vs. Striker - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141: Facebook Undercard Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141's Brock Lesnar Brutalizes Zach Gowen On Smackdown - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141 Video: Nate Diaz Explains Incident With Donald Cerrone - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar Speaks On His Return to MMA Against Alistair Overeem - Matthew Roth
• Countdown to UFC 141 Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem Full Video - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: Jon Fitch Talks Johny Hendricks, Talent vs. Hard Work - Tim Burke
• UFC 141: Alistair Overeem Takes Pre-Fight Drug Test for Conditional License - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141: Dana White Video Blog - Day 1 - Josh Nason
• Luke Thomas Calls Alistair Overeem NSAC Hearing 'Farcical' and Previews UFC 141 on The Fight Fix - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle Create Comedic Gold - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: UFC Heavyweight Division State of the Union - Fraser Coffeen
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem are GI Joes - Matthew Roth
• Frank Mir: Alistair Overeem Will Get Taken Down, and His Cardio Will 'Suck' Against Brock Lesnar - Anton Tabuena
• UFC 141: Alistair Overeem - 'Brock Doesn't Like to Get Hit' - Tim Burke
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Makes His WWE Debut On Monday Night Raw - Matthew Roth