UFC 141: Breaking Down Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

UFC 141 is sure to be a great night of fights, and while the collision of titans Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem is the main attraction, there are plenty of potentially entertaining fights for fans on December 30th.

Among those fights is the light heavyweight fight between grizzled veteran Vladimir Matyushenko and promising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. At the very least, it will have the most syllables of any matchup at UFC 141.

Matyushenko comes into this fight with an impressive 4-1 streak in his last five fights (the one loss was to Jon Jones). A win for him would surely take him higher than he has ever been in the UFC, and potentially set him up with a big-name opponent.

Gustafsson, one of the most intriguing prospects in the UFC, looks to continue his dominance by improving on his 12-1 record, and move one step closer to being considered a serious contender for Jon Jones' belt.

Much like Jones, Gustafsson brings a freakish frame to the table. Standing at 6'5" and sporting a 76.5" reach, it will be interesting to see how the 6'1" Matyushenko handles Gustaffson's length.

Here's how Matyushenko and Gustafsson measure up:

Striking

Every fight starts standing up, so that's the best place to start comparing these two.

Matyushenko comes into this fight on the heels of a 20-second knockout victory of fellow light heavyweight Jason Brillz. While Matyushenko is known primarily for his wrestling, he has shown throughout his career that he does indeed have heavy hands.

If Matyushenko is able to land some clean shots on Gustafsson, he definitely has the power to score the knockout.

Gustafsson is a good striker in his own right, but definitely has some things that he will be looking to improve upon in his game. Gustafsson has the range and power to develop into a great striker.

Eight of Gustafsson's 12 victories have come by way of knockout, so he too has the power to knock out his opponent with a well-timed shot.

Gustafsson will be looking to show improved defense, though, as he has a penchant for engaging in exchanges, leaving him vulnerable to taking shots.

Gustafsson needs to use his length to keep the shorter, powerful Matyushenko at bay and slowly pick him apart.

While Matyushenko has the power, Gustafsson's striking has been impressive and he should be able to outpoint Matyushenko standing.

Advantage: Gustafsson

Takedowns

Takedowns could play a huge role in this fight. If Matyushenko is able to get Gustafsson to the ground, that is his most clear path to victory, so how Gustafsson handles Matyushenko's takedowns will be pivotal.

Matyushenko has shown great takedowns throughout his career, and there's no doubt his strength is his ability to out-muscle and takedown opponents.

We haven't seen Gustafsson have to defend too many takedowns. He has been successful in using his length to keep opponents from getting inside to bring him to the mat.

The only man to bring Gustafsson down was fellow light-heavyweight rising star Phil Davis. Gustafsson lost that fight.

Gustafsson's takedowns are largely untested. To this point in his career, he hasn't really needed to use them. He usually just takes his opponents down with strikes shortly before finishing off his opponent.

While it is hard to gauge Gustaffson's takedowns, we know Matyushenko's ability.

Advantage: Matyushenko

Grappling

Both of these fighters possess great ground games.

Matyushenko brings a classic wrestler approach to the octagon, and loves to get on top of his opponents, wear them out and out work them with ground and pound.

Gustafsson continues to improve as a grappler with every fight, and has the potential to become a great grappler that can finish fights. Matyushenko will provide a great litmus test as to how far Gustafsson's ground game has come.

With Matyushenko's plodding, powerful style contrasting Gustafsson's raw yet formidable Jiu-Jitsu and athleticism, this fight could get really interesting when the action goes to the ground.

Gustafsson struggled with the strength and power of Phil Davis, so it is very possible Matyushenko could attempt to utilize the same strategy.

Advantage: Matyushenko

Submissions

Submissions are always the great equalizer on the ground. This fight could be no different.

While Matyushenko is the more powerful grappler, he has not won a fight by submission since 2007. It is also worth noting that Matyushenko has not been submitted in 31 career fights.

Gustafsson, on the other hand, may not be a submission master, but he has won two of his last three fights by way of choke.

It isn't out of the question for Gustafsson to become the first to submit Matyushenko, especially if he happens to rock Matyushenko in the early going.

Advantage: Gustafsson

Size

As with many of the newer prospects, Gustafsson is a rare build for his weight class. At 6'5", Gustafsson is taller than Jon Jones, and his reach of 76.5" makes him one of the longer fighters in the weight class.

Matyushenko has a bigger build for a light heavyweight, and that definitely plays into the strength advantage he usually brings to his fights.

However, if history is any indicator, Gustafsson's size could really help him in this fight. Gustafsson's last opponent was another big light heavyweight with a strong wrestling pedigree and heavy hands—Matt Hamill.

Gustafsson used his length against Hamill to land a devastating uppercut that put Hamill down and set up the TKO finish in Hamill's last career fight.

The last time Matyushenko fought someone with Gustafsson's build, it was Jon Jones. That didn't work out too well for him.

Advantage: Gustafsson

Prediction

With all due respect to Matyushenko's abilities and skills as a fighter, this could be Alexander Gustafsson's coming out party. For many, this will be their first time watching the promising Gustafsson, and he will need to capitalize on this opportunity if he wants to realize his potential.

While Matyushenko could use his wrestling background and power to upend the rising star, it is more likely that Gustafsson will get the better of "The Janitor."

Look for Gustafsson to show even more improvements in using his length to keep Matyushenko at bay, and do enough to put Matyushenko to the ground and secure the finish.

Gustafsson by second round TKO