Contract is signed
— Alexey Oleynik (@oleynikufc) February 4, 2022
Fight in March 26
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On previous events, Oleynik (59-16-1) was booked against Greg Hardy, while Ilir Latifi (15-8, 1 NC) was expected to take on Alexander Romanov. Hardy withdrew from the match due to a finger injury, while Romanov pulled out from his fight for currently undisclosed reasons. Instead of preserving the matchups, the promotion pushed the fights back and booked Oleynik against Latifi at UFC on ESPN 33 on March 26 in Columbus, Ohio. The news first broke from BJPenn.com on Friday, and both heavyweights subsequently confirmed the new billing on social media.
Oleynik has not gotten his hand raised since a close split decision win over Fabricio Werdum in May 2020. A trio of defeats, including a pair of knockouts to Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus, as well as a slow decision setback to Sergey Spivak, has placed the Russian on the longest losing stretch of his storied career. “The Boa Constrictor” first competed in the sport in 1996, and he has amassed 46 wins by submission as a pro over the years. Should he pull off win number 60, Oleynik will reach a distinction achieved by less than a dozen fighters in MMA history.
“The Sledgehammer” Latifi put an end to his own three-fight rough patch by taking a split decision over Tanner Boser in June 2021. The former light heavyweight contender moved back up to the highest weight category in 2020, and he fell short to Lewis by decision. The Swede posts a far lower finish rate than his opponent, with 67% of his wins ending inside the distance compared to Oleynik’s 92%. However, the Allstars Training Center product has never been submitted.
UFC Columbus, also known as UFC on ESPN 33, will take place inside the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26. There is no current headliner as the previous match of Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic fell through. Key bouts on the card do include a potential flyweight title eliminator between Kai Kara France and Askar Askarov, a welterweight banger between hometown fighter Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena, and a women’s strawweight tilt pitting Amanda Ribas against Michelle Waterson.