UFC on Versus 1 Preview: The Prelims

Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

The Breakdown: A classic case of two generations meeting at the crossroads of their careers awaits, as up-and-coming “Ultimate Fighter” alumnus Eliot Marshall meets old-school hero and new-school survivor Vladimir Matyushenko. While the nostalgia for Matyushenko is stronger than ever, Marshall’s thorough out-pointing of Jason Brilz at UFC 103 injects some serious doubt into what many consider an assumed win for “The Janitor.”

Watching Marshall repeatedly stuff Brilz’s takedowns and use adroit movement backed up by a stinging jab was a real graduation-type moment. While Matyushenko has developed a powerful boxing game, his punches are painfully slow and he struggles against fighters with superior technique and stout takedown defense. Especially troubling is Matyushenko’s grade-school habit of dropping his right when throwing the jab, which is the sort of fundamental flaw that Marshall will mercilessly capitalize on. The tradeoff is that if Matyushenko can get inside of Marshall’s jab, his clinch game will severely test the mental resolve of a fighter who still has plenty of doubters waiting on him to fall apart.

The Bottom Line: An upset is brewing here. Matyushenko’s age is starting to catch up to him while Marshall is coming into his own as a professional face-smasher. This will be a slightly more competitive replay of Marshall’s bout with Brilz, as he deftly manipulates Matyushenko’s leaden footwork to create angles and one-two the hulking Belarusian to death en route to a unanimous decision nod.