Breaking Down UFC 129: Matyushenko Vs. Brilz / Bocek Vs. Henderson

Added on Apr 27, 2011 by John Petit in

UFC & MMA

The Historical UFC 129 St. Pierre Vs. Shields takes place this Saturday night in Toronto, Canada in front 55,000 screaming fans. This is one of those cards fight fans aren’t going to want to sleep on, and will definitely be worth the 55 dollars you have to plunk down. The crowd size will be a unique experience for everyone involved, and adds an interesting perspective to all of the fights on the card.

Light Heavyweight bout:

Vladimir Matyushenko (-110) vs. Jason Brilz (+103)

Vladimir Matyushenko

Odds: -110

Reach: 74in

Record: 25-5

UFC Record: 3-1

Last 5: 5-1

Streak: 1

Jason Brilz

Odds: +130

Reach: 71.5in

Record: 18–3–1

UFC Record: 3-2

Last 5: 3-2

Streak: -1

This is the fight that confuses me the most on the card, and its not because its a fight of the night contender or anything. It really stands out because I don’t understand what its doing on this card. The UFC has an opportunity to show case a fighter(s) on one of the biggest cards, and they put up Brilz and The Janitor? That said, there is probably money to be made on this fight. Jason Brilz as an underdog to the aging Matyushenko is perplexing to me. I am having a harder time imagining him as the winner than imagining him being the favorite. +130 isn’t a lot of room, but if you are making numerous bets it might be a good idea.

Brilz is coming off of a loss to Little Nog, and is so far only 3-2 in the UFC. The good news for him in this fight will be his wrestling acumen. Brilz is an assistant coach at back to back Division II National Wrestling champs, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the guy clearly has the dexterity and gas tank to handle someone like Matyushenko for 15 minutes. Brilz might even be able to handle him on the feet at this point in both of their careers, but if Brilz runs into trouble I see him still being able to win on the floor.

Matyushenko’s chance to win this fight is on the feet, and he needs to overwhelm Brilz. He needs to get there early, and put a lot of pressure on him from the first seconds in. This is not the fighter we saw long ago in Pride, and you can see a clear down trend in his ability and quickness. If he can confuse or disrupt Brilz early on I think he can finish the fight with strikes, but the longer the fight goes it quickly turns into the type of fight Brilz will want and win.

I have to pick Brilz in this fight, and I think an ugly decision is what we will end up seeing on Saturday night.

Lightweight bout:

Mark Bocek (+115) vs. Ben Henderson (-145)

Mark Bocek

Odds: +115

Reach: 75in

Record: 9-3

UFC Record: 5-3

Last 5: 4-1

Streak: +1

Ben Henderson

Odds: -145

Reach: 70in

Record: 12-2

UFC Record: 0-0 (WEC: 5-1)

Last 5: 4-1

Streak: -1

This is kind of a strange fight, as the former champion in this equation hasn’t even fought in the UFC yet, and both these guys will be squaring off in the biggest fights of their career. Anything can happen in this fight, and the winner could be considered “in the mix” and the loser will be taking a big step back. Especially if the loser is Ben Henderson. These are two fighters who are going to go at it for 15 minutes straight if given the chance. These are two exciting guys, who aren’t afraid to take a strike to give one. They are both very aggressive from the first horn, and both fantastic on the ground.

Henderson is coming off of the last fight in WEC history where he lost to Anthony Pettis via decision after a high light real knockdown won him the fight. The loss was one of two he has on his record, and the first one came in 2007. He is fighting in the UFC for the first time, and the crowd will be easily be 5 times larger than what was in attendance at the WEC finale. Henderson has sent a clear message to all BJJ fighters in his division that he is near impossible to submit, and many people who train with him refer him to his as “Gumby” because of his pliable limbs. Also, Henderson is always looking to finish the fight, and any opening at any time you might give him, he will take. That was the spirit that won him the title in the WEC, and if he can respond to the pressure of the event he will fight the same way.

Bocek might be slightly more well rounded than Henderson, and don’t let Bocek’s record confuse you- 2 of his 3 losses are to top 5 lightweight fighters. Bocek is used to the big show, but this will be different for everyone being in a stadium. Bocek is coming off of a submission win to Dustin Hazelette which shocked BJJ enthusiasts because of Dustin’s ground ability and submission history himself. Before that he fought Jim Miller, and many people still think Mark won that fight. Mark will have a 5 inch reach advantage, and if he can make Henderson dance around on the outside of his punches he will have the chance to out-point Ben.

This is a good opportunity for Henderson to really make a name for himself in he UFC, and do it on a grand scale. I don’t think Bocek will be able to dole anything out to Henderson on the feet, and Bendo will use his speed to jump in and out of the striking range of Bocek. Henderson’s wrestling is good enough to stop most takedowns in the division, and even if he does get taken down he eats fighters alive in the scramble. I think Henderson eventually tags Bocek, and is able to get a hold of him for a submission.