Is the winner of the co-main the next one to watch at 205?
Not only has the UFC’s light heavyweight division been rebuilt to the point that there are now several credible contenders capable of pushing Jon Jones to his limits, but there is also enough depth to once again start spotting up-and-comers with real futures.
Which brings us to Saturday night’s matchup between Crute (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Oleksiejczuk (14-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
Just 23, Crute made a splash by traveling halfway around the world and earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Then he finished a pair of vets in Paul Craig and Sam Alvey in his first two official UFC bouts, before losing a short-but-wild fight to Misha Cirkunov.
The 24-year-old Oleksiejczuk, meanwhile, scored a pair of first-round finishes in his first two official UFC matchups (his debut was a no contest), before falling prey to a Von Flue choke against Ovince Saint Preux.
The winner of this one comes out with three wins out of four in the UFC. Factor in that 17 of their combined 24 career victories are finishes, and you seem to have the makings of exactly the sort of fight which can create legit momentum for the winner.
[opinary poll=”whats-your-pick-for-jimmy-crute-vs-micha” customer=”mmajunkie”]