A heavyweight clash pitting Fabricio Werdum against Alexey Oleynik has been targeted to headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first-ever card in Russia on Sept. 15.
Multiple outlets have confirmed that the bout is in the works. MMAFighting.com was first to report the matchup on Monday. The promotion has not formally announced the contest, but Oleynik recently hinted in an Instagram post the he had signed a bout agreement to compete at the event. The card takes place at Olympic Stadium in Moscow.
Werdum last appeared at UFC Fight Night 127, where he had a two-bout winning streak halted in a fourth-round knockout loss against Alexander Volkov in the evening’s main event on March 17. The 40-year-old Brazilian owns wins over the likes of Cain Velasquez, Travis Browne, Mark Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy Nelson during his promotional tenure.
Oleynik, who is also 40 years old, is coming off a first-round submission triumph over Junior Albini at UFC 224. The Moscow native is 5-2 in the UFC and owns a 56-11-1 career mark. “The Boa Constrictor” has finished 44 of his triumphs by way of submission.