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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
What was initially slated as a light heavyweight bout between Phil Davis and Matt Hamill at UFC 129 has now become a light heavyweight bout between Jason Brilz and Vladimir Matyushenko.
According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, Matyushenko has been tapped to face Brilz on the card after Davis was pulled to meet Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24.
Brilz was put into the bout with Davis after Matt Hamill was pulled to meet Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 130 in May, so now the UFC has simply swapped out one bout for another.
Brilz returns to action for the first time since his breakout performance in a razor thin split decision loss to Nogueira in May of 2010. Injuries kept him out the rest of the year, but he now looks to get back on track against "The Janitor."
Matyushenko rebounded from a vicious loss to Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2 last August when he took out Alexandre Ferreira in November at UFC 122 in Germany. He's 3-1 in the UFC since returning to the organization in 2009 after six years outside of the UFC.
The sold out UFC 129 takes place from the Rogers Centre on April 30, headlined by the Welterweight Championship bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields.
Penick's Analysis: This is a very good replacement fight with all the changes between the parties involved. Brilz's return will be more anticipated than any of his previous fights, and Matyushenko remains a very tough opponent for most in the division. With him coming off a win and Brilz coming off a disputed loss, this fight means a lot to both in the division and should be an entertaining scrap for the 55,000 fans in Toronto.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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