Quarterly Rankings
I'm tired of hoping for something that isn't going to happen so I'm glad that I'm fighting for the UFC right now. It's a great organization and I know it's not going anywhere. FiveKnuckles.com: Explain how you got the nickname "the Janitor"?
Vladimir Matyushenko: There was a big wrestling tournament in Russia that all the wrestlers came to compete in right before the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. I was there competing as well and I didn't really have any clothes except for baggy jeans, a ripped shirt and what not. The American team was training in the week prior trying to make weight.
When they were finished, there was a lot of sweat left on the mats and I was left to clean it all up so I could do my training. The next day I had to wrestle the best American wrestlers including Royce Alger and Kenny Jackson. Kenny Jackson ended up winning the gold in Barcelona. I beat both of those guys that day and cleaned the mats afterwards. The American coaches were making fun of the guys that lost to me and said they couldn't even beat a Russian "janitor" and that I wasn't even a wrestler and only worked there. I think it was Mark Coleman or Dave Shultz who came up with it. Every time I see Mark Coleman he reminds me of those days. I still clean up my gym because I don't want to risk infection for myself or my fighters. I clean up my house too so I think it fits sometimes.
FiveKnuckles.com: Many publications have you ranked in or around the top-ten light heavyweight fighters in the world. How do you feel about those rankings?
Vladimir Matyushenko: That stuff is all up to the media and to the fans. I don't necessarily believe those ranking are an accurate assessment of the fighters and their abilities. I mean it's nice to be ranked in the top five or the top ten but in one way or the other, the system is always flawed.
There used to be tournaments in Pride FC where the winner would beat everybody and be considered the champion. The runner up would be ranked second and so on and so forth. That seems like the correct way to formulate a ranking system, otherwise it's just something for people to talk about.
FiveKnuckles.com: Who do think is the best fighter in the light-heavyweight division?
Vladimir Matyushenko: It's really hard to say just one guy. There are a lot of fighters at the top of the division who have yet to separate themselves like fighters in other divisions. It's definitely a saturated weight class even in the UFC, but it's hard to make it to the top in any weight class. There are many good fights available with Rampage Jackson coming back. There's Rashad Evans. There's Antonio Rogerio Nogueira who's pretty good. I would like to have another shot against him if I can get it.
FiveKnuckles.com: Who's the toughest opponent you've faced in your career?
Vladimir Matyushenko: Again that's hard to say. My toughest opponent is myself. Forcing myself to do some of these thing isn't easy. I've had a bunch of tough fights over the years. I had a tough fight with Tito when we fought...
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