Vladimir Matyushenko, James Irvin Aiming for March Returns
Light heavyweight Vladimir Matyushenko and middleweight James Irvin are both aiming to return to action in the UFC in March, according to reports from Sherdog and MMA Weekly.
Matyushenko (23-4), the former IFL 205-pound champion, returned to the UFC in September with a unanimous decision over Igor Pokrajac and had been scheduled to fight Steve Cantwell at UFC 108, but a potentially career-ending issue to Cantwell canceled the fight (though recent reports indicate he could return this year).
Irvin (14-5) hasn’t stepped inside the Octagon since a July 2008 loss to Anderson Silva, which snapped a two-fight win streak, first serving a 9-month suspension for testing positive for banned painkillers then knee injuries postponed his scheduled May and August returns. “The Sandman” will be making his 185-pound debut in the upcoming bout.
UFC Fight Night 21, which airs live on Versus, is scheduled for March 21 in Denver, Colorado, while UFC 111 is set to take place on March 27 in Newark, New Jersey.
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Pictured: James Irvin
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So glad the Sandman is back. I had him down to my store a couple times last year and he is a great guy. He has been battling knee injuries and I was worried he was done.
me 2 man im really glad he is back this is one guy who comes 2 fight whether he wins or loses its an exciting fight. i hope he can get the wanderlei fight that he has been chasing
Can’t wait for the sandman to bring his muay thai back to the cage, I’d love to see him get in at 185 against a guy like Alan Belcher, Aaron Simpson, or Tomasz Drwal for his first fight back, Can’t wait, the sandmans dope!