Jones-Matyushenko Greenlit for UFC on Versus 2
Brian Knapp May 24, 2010
Electrifying light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones will
clash with former International Fight League champion Vladimir
Matyushenko in the UFC on Versus 2 headliner on Aug. 1 at the
EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The promotion made the
bout official on Monday.
Jones, who does not turn 23 until July, last appeared in March, when he stopped Brandon Vera with first-round punches and elbows at UFC on Versus 1 in Broomfield, Colo. His disputed disqualification against Matt Hamill five months ago remains the lone blemish on his otherwise pristine resume. A national wrestling champion at the junior college level, Jones now trains out of Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M. The 6-foot-4, Rochester, N.Y., native has delivered eight of his 10 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Matyushenko has posted 11 wins in his last 12 fights and earned a
split decision over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Eliot
Marshall in March. The 39-year-old Belarusian has only been
finished twice in 28 professional bouts and holds notable victories
against Pedro Rizzo
and the world-ranked Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira. Matyushenko was a national wrestling champion
in the Soviet Union and his native Belarus.
In the co-main event, perennial middleweight contender Yushin Okami will square off with the surging Mark Munoz.
Based in Kanagawa, Japan, Okami was the last man to defeat UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva, having done so by disqualification in 2006. The 28-year-old throttled Lucio Linhares by second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 21 in March, as he won for the eighth time in 10 appearances inside the Octagon. Okami has not been finished in nearly seven years.
Munoz will carry a three-fight winning streak into the bout. He has not competed since April, when he roared from behind to stop “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Kendall Grove on second-round strikes at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The 32-year-old father of four was a national champion and two-time All-American at Oklahoma State University, where his 121 career victories tie him for sixth all-time with 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday. Munoz was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Jones, who does not turn 23 until July, last appeared in March, when he stopped Brandon Vera with first-round punches and elbows at UFC on Versus 1 in Broomfield, Colo. His disputed disqualification against Matt Hamill five months ago remains the lone blemish on his otherwise pristine resume. A national wrestling champion at the junior college level, Jones now trains out of Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M. The 6-foot-4, Rochester, N.Y., native has delivered eight of his 10 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
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In the co-main event, perennial middleweight contender Yushin Okami will square off with the surging Mark Munoz.
Based in Kanagawa, Japan, Okami was the last man to defeat UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva, having done so by disqualification in 2006. The 28-year-old throttled Lucio Linhares by second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 21 in March, as he won for the eighth time in 10 appearances inside the Octagon. Okami has not been finished in nearly seven years.
Munoz will carry a three-fight winning streak into the bout. He has not competed since April, when he roared from behind to stop “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Kendall Grove on second-round strikes at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The 32-year-old father of four was a national champion and two-time All-American at Oklahoma State University, where his 121 career victories tie him for sixth all-time with 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday. Munoz was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame earlier this month.
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