Replacing suspended former champion Fabricio Werdum, fan favorite slugger Mark Hunt met Russian submission expert Aleksei Oleinik in the main event of today’s (Sat., Sept. 15, 2018) UFC Fight Night 136 from Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
The 44-year-old Hunt came into the fight having lost two of his last three to Curtis Blaydes and Alistair Overeem with a TKO win over Derrick Lewis sandwiched in between. Oleinik, on the other hand, had won three of his previous UFC bouts by submission, including two by his now-famous Ezekiel Choke. He, too, had lost to surging challenger Blaydes.
The competitors were two of the most seasoned vets in all of the UFC, with an insane 95 professional bouts between them (not including Hunt’s extensive kickboxing resumé).
But they couldn’t have been more polar opposites in terms of style. With Hunt one of the UFC’s most powerful strikers and Oleinik an expert grappler, the stage was set with a classic striker vs. grappler match for the main event of the UFC’s debut on Russian soil. The bout promised to be a potentially explosive – or possibly subdued – main event in Moscow. It turned out to be the former.
Round One:
The headliner began with a strong low kick from Hunt. Oleinik answered with a glancing right hand over the top. He snapped a push kick to Hunt’s knee and the Samoan missed on a punch. Hunt slapped a leg kick and avoided a looping shot from Oleinik. Hunt then landed a huge punch that Oleinik somehow stayed upright from.
The leg kicks kept scoring from Hunt. He scored with a left hook. Oleinik’s left leg was badly bruised and battered from the leg kicks. Hunt scored a right hand as a hindered Oleinik rushed in. But then the tide turned. Oleinik landed some hard shots of his own and wobbled Hunt. Oleinik shot for a takedown that Hunt first avoided, but the Russian persevered to ground “The Super Samoan” and take his back. Oleinik sought a rear-naked choke and locked it on tight, earning the immediate tap from Hunt.
Amazing performance from “The Boa Constrictor,” who earned an incredible 45th submission win of his career by surviving some big damage from Hunt early on.
Final Result: Aleksei Oleinik def. Mark Hunt via R1 submission (rear-naked choke, 4:26)
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