A clash between submission specialists Fabricio Werdum and Aleksei Oleinik may be on the horizon.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to debut in Moscow, Russia on Sept. 15. This will be a “Fight Night” event, so that pretty much rules out lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It seems that the UFC has their sights set on a headliner, however.
Here’s Ariel Helwani with the report:
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum has been seriously discussed as a top fight for the UFC’s debut event in Moscow on Sept. 15, sources confirm. Not finalized at the moment. Oleinik told reporters he was interested in fighting Werdum next after his win at UFC 224.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 21, 2018
In his last outing, Werdum was knocked out by Alexander Volkov in the fourth round. It was “Vai Cavalo’s” first loss since being stopped by Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight title bout. Werdum has never lost back-to-back bouts and would like to avoid it from happening in his next outing.
As for Oleinik, he’s gone 3-1 in his last four outings. Oleinik is best known for having the most wins via Ezekiel choke in mixed martial arts competition with 12. Earlier this month, Oleinik submitted Junior Albini via Ezekiel choke.
No bouts have been announced for UFC Moscow at this time. With so many Russian fighters in the UFC and one of them being an undefeated champion, it’s easy to see why the promotion would make the trip to Russia. Stick with MMANews.com for the latest details on UFC Moscow as they become available.
Do you like the potential match-up between Fabricio Werdum and Aleksei Oleinik?