Vladimir Matyushenko Set To Retire Following Bellator 116 Bout With Joey Beltran
Longtime MMA competitor Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko suffered some vicious losses towards the end of his UFC tenure, but it wasn’t for lack of competition. Dropping three of his last five fights to Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson, and Ryan Bader, Matyushenko has seen it all during his nearly 17-year MMA career.
He rebounded nicely by defeating fellow UFC alum Houston Alexander at last September’s Bellator 99, and was subsequently set to face another UFC vet in Joey Beltran at Bellator 116 next Friday (April 11, 2014).
Today, Matyushenko has announced to Frank Trigg of MMA Oddsbreaker that his fight with Beltran will be his last. “The Janitor” is moving on to focus on other aspects of mixed martial arts such as training or even opening his own gym:
“This is my last fight. Doesn’t matter win or lose. That’s it. Training people, there’s a possibility to open my own gym again. Or I could go the complete opposite direction and work the railroad. I’ll be happy just keeping myself busy.” -via MMAMania.com
Always one of the more humble competitors fighting, Matyushenko will be remembered for his quiet, workmanlike attitude. While he was never quite able to get past the truly elite fighters in UFC, there’s no doubt that “The Janitor” was a force to be reckoned with.
