UFC 103 Preview: The Prelims

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac

The Storyline: Matyushenko has been away from the UFC for nearly six years. He went 9-1 after his knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 44 and was recalled as a light heavyweight. Mirko Filipovic has lobbied for his sparring partner, Pokrajac, to get a shot at the big time for quite a while. In a matter of days, Matyushenko and Pokrajac, two European wrestling standouts, will duke it out inside the Octagon.

The Breakdown: Many have called for Matyusheko’s return to the UFC since he cleaned out the International Fight League’s light heavyweight division, as the Belarusian wrestler would provide an excellent test for many of the promotion’s next generation fighters, like Ryan Bader, Steve Cantwell and Jon Jones. Wrestling at an Olympic level for many years, Matyushenko has adapted his game and become equally comfortable beating down and submitting his opponents on the ground.

Pokrajac made several attempts at securing work in Pride Fighting Championships and Dream but failed to beat a high-profile opponent that could have pushed him over the edge. See Assuerio Silva in 2006 and Mamed Khalidov in 2007. Now, Pokrajac has reached the UFC on the back of an impressive overall record and a promise UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta made to Filipovic.

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The Prediction: Favor Matyusheko, the more seasoned fighter and the stronger wrestler. Despite the fact that he has gotten long in the tooth, expect the former IFL champion to control his Croatian counterpart on the mat en route to a unanimous decision.