UFC 129 Fight Card: Vladimir Matyushenko vs Jason Brilz at a Glance

by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 12:02 PM EDT in UFC Analysis

Vladimir Matyushenko and Jason Brilz, two veteran Mixed Martial Artists will open the UFC 129 Pay Per View. It's not the kind of match you expect to set the world on fire. Both men are wrestling-based fighters with grinding styles and limited KO power.

Matyushenko (25-5, 6-3 UFC) is 3-1 since returning to the UFC in 2009 and comes into the fight off a TKO win over Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira at UFC 122 last November. Prior to that, Matyushenko was on the wrong end of a Judo Chop worthy performance by Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2.

Brilz (18-3-1, 3-2 UFC) is coming off a controversial split decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114. It was such a great fight I did a three part Judo Chop on it (here's Round 1, Round 2, Round 3).

Neither of these guys is that dynamic. Matyushenko is 39 and Brilz is 35. They both rely more on their experience and power than speed, but I'd have to give the quickness edge to Brilz.

Let's break the fight down into it's component aspects:

Aspect	Matyushenko	Points	Jason Brilz	Advantage
Range Fighting
Boxing	Journeyman	1	Puncher	Brilz
Kickboxing	Passable	1	Passable	Tie
Wrestling	Excellent	1	Very Good	Matyushenko
Clinch Fighting
Dirty Boxing	Grinding	1	Strong	Matyushenko
Thai Clinch	Iffy	1	Ok	Brilz
Throws/Trips	Strong	1	Strong	Tie
Ground Fighting
Positional Control	Very Good	1	Good	Matyushenko
Top Game	Grinding	1	Punishing	Brilz
Bottom Game	Questionable	1	Scrambler	Brilz
Submissions	Limited	1	Limited	Tie
Overall	Journeyman	3/4	Journeyman	Brilz

This is a coin toss but I think Brilz' superior punching power at range will make the difference. If the fight goes to the ground, Brilz has the better chances of escaping a bad position.

Look for Jason Brilz to grind out a win in what will be an ugly fight.

UFC President Dana White breaks down the UFC 129 light heavyweight bout between Vladimir Matyushenko and Jason Brilz.

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Comments

Ugh

Really wish this wasn’t a main card fight….

by flingom on Apr 25, 2011 12:21 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

anyone have thoughts on my table

should i include a section on physical attributes? reach, speed, age, etc?

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 12:23 PM EDT reply actions

Love it

As video gamish as it might seem I like it when HD’s MMA show (the name escapes me) has the criteria broke down like this.

by cmons on Apr 25, 2011 12:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I think the table is fantastic. However, physical attributes like reach, age, height, etc. don’t seem to fit what you’re going for with this table.

I like this as is – good work!

Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.

by krcampbell on Apr 25, 2011 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll admit to a little confusion

Does the attribute rating system go, from weakest to strongest:

Questionable – Iffy – Limited – OK – Good – Very Good – Grinding – Strong – Punishing?

Is “grinding” dirty boxing not as good as “strong” dirty boxing? Where would someone with a “very good” top game fall in relation to these two “punishing” and “grinding” top games?

I would suggest keeping it an obvious apples-to-apples comparisons along a clear scale (ala: terrible – poor – average – good – elite), and using qualifiers like “grinding” or “punishing” to explain why, say, of two fighters with a “good” top game, one has the advantage.

I don’t know, maybe comments would take this too far in the direction of an article and away from the appealing quick table, but regardless, the adjectives that characterize rather than rank attributes aren’t as helpful in comparing two fighters.

This comment is intended for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblence to the actual truth is entirely coincidental.

by JoshSBooks on Apr 25, 2011 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I want to keep some fun + make it descriptive so I haven't done it in a scale

it’s a binary comparison so you can deduce from whomever won the nod in the far right column which is better.

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t understand the numbers column. I’m guessing each guy gets 1 point per won category.. but then they both end up with 3/4 as total? Or is it that Brilz won by 3/4 margin?

Other than that, it’s pretty good.

by Horselover Fat on Apr 25, 2011 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions

brilz got 4 points

Matty got 3. Brilz won.

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah, okay. Maybe you could simply use another sign than /, like | or – to make sure it isn’t read as 3/4 as in 75% or something like that.

by Horselover Fat on Apr 26, 2011 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Maybe...

Things like experience do actually make a difference in a fight. I’d say cardio is a important factor too. And maybe differentiate between offense and defense. For example Cro Cop defensive wrestling was very good but he has never shown any offensive wrestling. How do you rank his wrestling in this case?

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by Sebastiaan Tauran on Apr 25, 2011 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions

well you rate

whether it’s better than the other guys at doing what he wants to do. basically if Cro Cop wants to keep the fight standing is he good enough to do that.
Matyushenko claims he wants to keep the fight standing, my bet is that is a mistake.

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions

I was going to comment that they are divided a bit wryly, as you made Pos. control, top and bottom game three separate categories, but subs counts as one. Also, I’m not sure if you include subs and sweeps and everything when you say bottom game. Maybe sub offense and defense as two categories. But physical attributes wouldn’t contribute to it for me, I like these as pure skill breakdowns.

by umbalata on Apr 25, 2011 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

well by subs i'm just referring to ability to finish a fight

bottom game includes both ability to reverse and ability to get in position for a sub.
sub defense would be included in both top game and bottom game. and might be a factor in positional control as well.
generally these are offensive categories I guess.

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I thought the table analyzed exactly the right categories for this fight. If the
“At a glance” preview isn’t a one time thing (which it shouldn’t be), you should do it this way—that is, analyzing the factors that are most relevant to the two fighters (I don’t think breaking down both ground fighting as well as clinch fighting is necessary for some fights, i.e. Barboza/Njoukawani, Liddell/Silva).

I realize clinch fighting and ground fighting are totally seperate categories, but I am trying to say that for a fight that is likely to stay standing should possible treat kickboxing, boxing and muay thai as seperate categories to achieve a more in depth analysis.

however, you assessed eaxctly what mattered for this fight and I hope there are more of these pieces

by Robert V-U on Apr 26, 2011 3:19 AM EDT up reply actions

thanks

that’s a very good suggestion

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 26, 2011 8:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Anyone else get the feeling Joe Silva is tossing these guys a main card spot as thanks for Brilz stepping in on short notice against little Nog and Vlad for offering himself up as a sacrifice for Jones?

by mthom on Apr 25, 2011 12:25 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

This is not to be taken offensively

But we will have a lot of our southern bretheren present for this event, and since GSP will most likely defeat beloved yankee Jake Shields, this is the fight where chants of “USA, USA, USA” will ring true

by Hashmo on Apr 25, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh man best fight on the card

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again, this is what it looks like when your drunk uncles brawl at a bbq. I believe they may be laying down some astroturf and each be served some busch to make them feel more comfortable on canadian soil

by Hashmo on Apr 25, 2011 12:26 PM EDT reply actions

This seems like it should be main eventing a small show in Nebraska or something

war janitor

by mikedh on Apr 25, 2011 12:39 PM EDT reply actions

im actually really excited for this fight

by Robust23 on Apr 25, 2011 1:03 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I’m hoping the grindiness of each fighter cancels out the grind completely and turns this into a ridiculous slugfest. Not gonna happen, but one can always hope.

"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye

by mburtoni on Apr 25, 2011 1:04 PM EDT reply actions

i see this fight being a lhw version of madsen-russow

not too happy to see it on the main card

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by milk72 on Apr 25, 2011 3:06 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I enjoyed Madsen vs Russow immensely

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Love this fight.

And then God created Saturn ... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
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by James Brady on Apr 25, 2011 4:08 PM EDT reply actions

These World Cups and point columns are fun

but they have absolutely no relevance in the real world.

by FCC_bigE on Apr 25, 2011 5:57 PM EDT reply actions

hmmm

the world cups post didn’t pretend to be anything but a fun poll. This on the other hand is pretending to be serious analysis. You sir are banned.

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by Nate Wilcox on Apr 25, 2011 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Saw the added bullet on Brent’s summation of the day so I took a second glance at your article. I really think the table was awesome, and while I’m pulling for the janitor, it made me realize I think Brillz should win this.

Anyway, war Matyushenko, get yourself another TKO

by Robert V-U on Apr 26, 2011 3:07 AM EDT reply actions