Russian submission savant Alexey Oleynik survived several hairy moments early on but he was able to prevail in front of nearly 20,000 fans in Moscow at UFC Fight Night 136.
Oleynik absorbed several nasty leg kicks from former K-1 Grand Prix world champion Mark Hunt (13-13-1) and was badly wobbled by a laser-like right hand to the head. But “The Boa Constrictor” hung tough and lived up to his nickname by choking out Hunt a few minutes later.
Oleynik (57-11-1) eventually took “The Super Samoan” down, seized his back and locked in the rear-naked choke, forcing Hunt to tap out. The New Zealand native bowed out 4:26 of the first, capping off the card Saturday inside Olimpiysky Arena.
Krylov No Match For Blachowicz
Jan Blachowicz gave Ukraine’s Nikita Krylov a rude welcome back to the Octagon on Saturday as he dominated him on the ground before submitting him in the second.
Krylov (24-6) couldn’t muster any sort of offense on his feet and when the fight was on the canvas, he was like a fish out of water. Blachowicz (23-7) eventually slithered to side control and when he crossed over Krylov’s body to the other side, he locked in an arm-triangle choke from the back. “The Miner” was toast and bowed out at 2:41 of the stanza, ending the light heavyweight contest.
Abdurakhimov Bests Arlovski
Andrei Arlovski claimed to have waited nearly 20 years to have a major MMA fight in or close to his homeland of Belarus. Unfortunately for “The Pit Bull,” he had a dreadful fight with Dagestan’s Shamil Abdurakhimov.
The heavyweights pawed with jabs and kicks in between several clinches for three rounds, leaving much to be desired action-wise. In the end, it was Abdurakhimov (19-4) who prevailed via unanimous decision as he won with scores of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28. Arlovski, a former UFC heavyweight champion, fell to 27-17.
Kunchenko Wins Octagon Debut
Undefeated former M-1 Global world champion Alexey Kunchenko wasn’t astonishing in his UFC debut on Saturday, but he did more than enough to win.
The Russian brawler outdueled longtime veteran Thiago Alves over three rounds in what was essentially a glorified kickboxing match. The two welterweights took turns landing thudding leg kicks and scattered punches to the head, but it was Kunchenko (19-0) who was more effective and maintained control of the pace throughout. The judges awarded “Wolverine” with the win via tallies of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27. Brazil’s “Pitbull” fell to 22-13 with the loss.
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