Point of interest: Grappling with the beast
Considering where Oleinik tends to finish fights, countering the Russian’s clinching efforts appear to be the crux of this matchup for Lewis.
Traditionally doing well against fighters who try and grapple him, Lewis wields deceptively effective counter-grappling tactics. Whether he’s hoisting his opponent up with a whizzer or shucking someone off with an underhook, Lewis has been hard to take down along the fence, as single legs or outside trips in open space seem to be what gets him grounded most.
That said, takedown attempts won’t be the only thing that the American will be forced to defend inside of clinching space.
A two-time combat sambo world champ, Oleinik makes his money inside of these close quarters. The 24-year pro can do everything from dirty boxing to double-legs against the fence from this range, but it is also a place where Oleinik’s patented Ezekiel choke can be set up from.
Despite seldom being seen in MMA, Oleinik (with an assist from his 80-inch wing span) has made the Ezekiel choke a common play in his arsenal.
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While most successful Ezekiel chokes are usually accomplished from the mount, Oleinik – as seen in his bout with Viktor Pesta – can hit this choke while being mounted from the bottom. And when he gets on top, the sambo player transitions seamlessly to and from the scarf hold, a position that plays the role of both security and submission threat when applied by the right party.
Nevertheless, Oleinik will still have to complete the first task of grounding or firmly grasping his foe before he can exercise those tools – something that is easier said than done with the deceptively savvy Lewis.
Like a sand shark lying in wait, Lewis plays a conservative game when put on his back, keeping his arms in tight for safety while waiting for the right moment to explode (usually timing his opposition when they’re in transition). Once allowed the smallest of space or momentum, Lewis will force his way to his base, turtling to a tripod position to stand.
As someone who is a fan of this style of get-up, I can tell you that it can be a nightmare to deal with when executed properly. For example, Lewis – while keeping his base firmly beneath him – will maintain an angle on his back that resembles a steep ski slope.
Although this tripod position invites back-takes to the naked eye, the downward slope Lewis keeps serves as a trap, making eager back-takers ultimately slide forward and lose position (all while allowing the Texas native to stand back up). And if Lewis is the one to reverse position and end up on top, then we could see a drastic shift in this matchup’s momentum given the hellfire of ground-and-pound “The Black Beast” can provide.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
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