Tag: Aleksei Oleinik

UFC veterans in MMA and karate action Dec. 14-17

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC wraps up its year with a pay-per-view event in Las Vegas.

UFC 296 takes place at T-Mobile Arena, and features a pair of title fights. In the main event, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] looks to defend his welterweight title against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], and [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] defends his flyweight crown against [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Dec. 14-17.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Video: Oli Thompson lands devastating first-round knockout punch on Aleksei Oleinik in Russia

A pair of UFC veterans clashed in Russia, and the result was a devastating knockout in the opening frame.

[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] returned to action for the first time since his UFC exit, but things did not go in his favor.

In the main event of REN TV Fight Club at Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia, Oleinik (60-17-1 MMA) faced fellow UFC veteran Oli Thompson in a heavyweight bout. The result was a violent finish that left Oleinik staring up at the lights.

Thompson (21-16 MMA) unleashed a crushing right hand that sent Oleinik crashing to the canvas with 35 seconds remaining in the opening round.

Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):

Thompson, 43, returned to the win column for the first time since 2020, snapping a four-fight losing skid. His last victory was also a first-round stoppage; a 23-second knockout of Szymon Bajor at Fight Exclusive Night 28 on June 13, 2020.

Oleinik, 45, competed in his final UFC bout in October 2022, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Ilir Latifi. “The Boa Constrictor” known for slapping on the ezekiel choke, had a 17-fight UFC run that began in 2014. During that stretch, Oleinik won nine bouts and finished seven of those fights in the opening round.

UFC Fight Night 211 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2022 total hits $6.5 million

UFC has paid out $6.5 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay to its athletes this year after UFC Fight Night 211.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 211 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $164,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 211 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 211 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Don Shainis[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Randy Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2117 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2111 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,491,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,658,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

Video: After a month of incredible submissions, which was your favorite from April?

Jessica Andrade made history, Claudio Puelles snatched another knee, but which submission was our “Spinning Back Clique” panel’s favorite?

The month of April delivered a number of fight-finishing submissions in big fights, including a first in the UFC.

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 205, former strawweight champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] made history against Amanda Lemos. The fight scheduled for 25 minutes lasted just a few seconds over three, ending with a finish for the record books as Andrade became the first fighter to tap an opponent with a standing arm triangle.

Historic moments are hard to ignore, but was there another submission this month that deserved the nod as the best of the month?

At 44 years old, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] is still finding ways to lock his opponents in tight squeezes. At UFC 273, the Russian locked in a neck crank on Jared Vanderaa to record his 47th career submission.

[autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag] pulled off a beautiful kneebar submission on UFC Hall of Famer Clay Guida at UFC Fight Night 205, a hold that came seemingly out of nowhere during a slick transition.

Did either of these rank higher than Andrade’s finish for best of the month? Was there another one to consider as well?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Danny Segura choose their favorite sub with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. Check it out in the video above.

And don’t miss the complete episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video below.

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UFC 273 video: Aleksei Oleinik turns tables on Jared Vanderaa, secures 47th career submission win

44-year-old Aleksei Oleinik became one of the oldest winners in octagon history when he tapped out Jared Vanderaa on the UFC 273 prelims.

[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] continues to be dangerous at 44 years, and he proved it against [autotag]Jared Vanderaa[/autotag] at UFC 273.

After Vanderaa (12-8 MMA, 1-4 UFC) tried to grapple Oleinik (60-15-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) early in the first round of their heavyweight bout on Saturday at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., the Russian flipped the script and locked in his signature neck crack to add another submission to his storied resume.

It was the 47th time Oleinik has forced an opponent to tap out, and more important, represented the end of a three-fight losing skid that put his career in the danger zone.

Check out the replay of Oleinik’s handiwork below (via Twitter):

Oleinik said after the victory in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he intends on continuing to push forward with his career, despite his advanced age.

“Maybe five, 10 more years,” Oleinik said to Rogan with a smile.

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UFC 273 pre-event facts: Will Khamzat Chimaev remain untouchable?

Go inside the numbers for the loaded UFC 273 event where Khamzat Chimaev will attempt to build on his insane 254-2 strike differential.

After a week hiatus, the UFC returns Saturday to open its April schedule with UFC 273, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader takes center stage atop the card. In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) is set to put his featherweight title on the line against [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). The co-main event will see bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meet interim champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a unification bout rematch.

Several other ranked and notable fighters are scheduled to compete at UFC 273, as well, and for more on the numbers, check below for 70 pre-event facts.

UFC 273 news: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Kelvin Gastelum off, Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik added

The UFC’s April pay-per-view event sees a shake-up in the lineup, losing one fight and adding another previously canceled bout.

April’s UFC pay-per-view event sees a pair of changes to the lineup.

Due to visa issues, [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] will no longer compete against [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag], the promotion officially announced on Monday. The fight has been canceled from the card and there will be no replacement opponent for Gastelum.

Imavov (11-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC), 26, will have to wait a little longer to compete in his first fight of 2022, as he was anticipating the opportunity to extend his current win streak to three straight.

The former middleweight title challenger Gastelum (16-8 MMA, 11-8-1 UFC), 30, has not competed since August, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Jared Cannonier, and would have looked to snap a two-fight skid.

It is unclear if the bout will be rebooked at a later date or if the promotion will move on to a different matchup.

While one fight is lost, another is gained in a previously canceled heavyweight matchup. At UFC on ESPN 33, [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] was scheduled to face [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], but the fight fell apart just hours before the event. Latifi was forced to pull out of the fight with a non-COVID-related illness. The promotion moved quickly to reschedule the bout, and it will now take place at the pay-per-view event which is headed by two title fights.

With the changes, the UFC 273 lineup now includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung – for the featherweight title
  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – for the bantamweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
  • Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd
  • Ian Garry vs. Darian Weeks
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott
  • Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
  • Julio Arce vs. Daniel Santos
  • Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel
  • Kay Hansen vs. Piera Rodriguez

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UFC on ESPN 33 predictions: Who’s our lone unanimous pick in Columbus?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 33 main card, featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus.

Blaydes
vs.
Daukaus		 Grasso
vs.
Wood		 Barberena
vs.
Brown		 Askarov
vs.
Kara-France		 Latifi
vs.
Oleinik		 Borshchev
vs.
Diakiese
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
47-19		 blaydes2022
Blaydes
(75%)		 grasso2022
Grasso
(79%)		 brown2022
Brown
(72%)		 askarov2022
Askarov
(64%)		 latifi2022
Latifi
(51%)		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
(76%)
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
45-21		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 wood2022
Wood		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 oleinik2022
Oleinik		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
44-22
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
44-22
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 wood2022
Wood		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 oleinik2022
Oleinik		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
43-23		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
42-24		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 diakiese2022
Diakiese
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
41-25		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 diakiese2022
Diakiese
Nolan King
@mma_kings
41-25		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 barberena2022
Barberena		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
40-26		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 wood2022
Wood		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 oleinik2022
Oleinik		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
39-27		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 barberena2022
Barberena		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
brian Garcia
@thegoze
38-28
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 karafrance2022
Kara-France		 latifi2022
Latifi		 diakiese2022
Diakiese
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
28-38		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev

The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Ohio this week with a heavyweight bout at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 33 takes place Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at heavyweight. Blaydes is a heavy -450 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Daukaus is +310. With Blaydes the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him in our only unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is a -250 favorite in her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC). Grasso has a big 8-3 lead in our picks.

Also on the main card, hometown fan favorite [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick against [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in their welterweight bout. Although Barberena is a -115 favorite to -110 to Brown, Brown has a 10-1 rout in the picks.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) is a -420 favorite at flyweight against [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-16-1 MMA, 8-7 UFC) in a heavyweight bout. Latifi is a -210 favorite at the betting window, and he’s got an 8-3 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a mild -160 favorite against [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), and he has a big 8-3 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blaydes (75 percent), Grasso (79 percent), Brown (72 percent), Askarov (64 percent), Latifi (51 percent) and Borshchev (76 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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UFC heavyweights Ilir Latifi, Aleksei Oleinik to square off March 26 in Columbus

UFC Columbus continues to load up on fights – and now a physically big one is headed that way.

It’s just a little over a month-and-a-half away, but UFC Columbus continues to gain fights.

The most recent addition is one in the heavyweight division, as [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-17-1 MMA, 8-7 UFC) will face off inside the UFC cage at the March 26 event. The UFC Fight Night card takes place at Nationwide Arena and airs on ESPN+.

A person with knowledge of the booking Friday confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. BJPenn.com was first to report the bout.

Oleinik, 44, is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster. He’s competed in more professional MMA fights than any other athlete on the current roster. He’ll look to snap a three-fight losing skid, potentially with his signature submission maneuver, the Ezekiel choke.

Latifi,38, returns for his third fight at heavyweight and his first since eye surgery. The medical procedure repaired injuries that nearly left Latifi blind. Latifi. Since he moved up from light heavyweight, Latifi is 1-1 with a loss to Derrick Lewis before a win over Tanner Boser.

With the addition, the UFC Columbus lineup includes:

  • Aleksandar Rakic vs. TBA
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson
  • Max Griffin vs. Neil Magny
  • Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa
  • Tucker Lutz vs. Seungwoo Choi
  • Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Montel Jackson
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Matt Brown
  • Nate Landwehr vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Alexa Grasso vs. Joanne Wood
  • Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
  • David Dvorak vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
  • Luis Saldana vs. Bruno Souza
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik

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Aleksei Oleinik out of UFC 270; Serghei Spivac steps in to fight Greg Hardy

Vaunted submission master Aleksei Oleinik has been forced to withdraw from next week’s UFC 270 event, but a replacement has been secured.

Vaunted submission master [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-15-1 MMA, 8-6 UFC) has been forced to withdraw from next week’s UFC 270 event, but a replacement has already been secured.

MMA Junkie learned Thursday from two people with knowledge of the booking who that [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has agreed to step in on short notice and will now face [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) at the event. The two people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Featuring a pair of championship matchups atop the bill, UFC 270 takes place Jan. 22 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The night’s main card streams live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Spivac last saw action in September, suffering a first-round TKO loss to top prospect Tom Aspinall. Prior to the setback, Spivac owned a three-fight winning streak that included Oleinik, Jared Vanderaa and Carlos Felipe.

Meanwhile, Hardy, a controversial former NFL standout, has suffered knockout losses against Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura in his past two outings. The setbacks come after Hardy has earned consecutive wins over Maurice Greene and Yorgan de Castro.

With the change to the lineup, UFC 270 now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Francis Ngannou vs. Interim champ Ciryl Gane – to unify heavyweight title
  • Champ Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for flyweight title
  • Ilia Topuria vs. opponent TBA
  • Greg Hardy vs. Serghei Spivac
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Wellington Turman vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira
  • Jack Della Maddalena vs. opponent TBA
  • Andre Fialho vs. Michel Pereira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry
  • Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales
  • Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez
  • Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
  • Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez