UFC 141 Results: What a Loss Would Mean for Vladimir Matyushenko
You don't see many fighters fighting top-level competition while in their 40s. There's Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and the not-so-often talked about Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko.
Matyushenko fights tonight against Alexander Gustafsson, the 24-year-old Swedish prospect who has been pegged as a future title challenger to Jon Jones.
However, Gustafsson has a huge test in front of him tonight.
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Should Gustafsson pass that test, it leaves the future of Matyushenko in limbo.
In Matyushenko's last six fights, he is 5-1, and the only loss came at the hands of Jones. In Matyushenko's last two fights, he has knocked out both of his opponents in a combined 2:40, so he clearly still has some fight left in him.
However, should he lose to Gustafsson, that could be it for "The Janitor."
Although he may have fight left in him, a loss could be all it takes for Matyushenko to call it quits. He is 5-1 in his past six, but he doesn't really have a win over an impressive name during that time frame.
Throughout his career, Matyushenko has generally lost to every upper-level fighter he has faced. A loss to a young prospect like Gustafsson, coupled with the loss to Jones, could be enough to show Matyushenko that he can not hang with this generation of fighters.
However, if he remains competitive tonight and doesn't lose in any sort of devastating fashion, Matyushenko could stick around if he still has that competitive fire.
He would certainly make a solid gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division.
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