#UFCVegas6: @oleynikufc: 10 More Years #MMA
Tweet
Headlining UFC Vegas 6 is a barn burner of a stylistic matchup between Alexey Oleinik and Derrick Lewis. This main event is a classic power puncher versus grappler fight. We spoke with Oleynik last July and got to know him a little better. Check out that interview below!
Our previous interview with Alexey Oleinik
Oleinik is coming off of a win over former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum, at UFC 249. The fight was looked forward to by many fans due to the level of grappling to be seen at the fight. But, Oleinik kept the fight standing most of the time, using his absurd 80″ reach to wail on Werdum. He pointed out that the fight isn’t a grappling fight and that he is a mixed martial artist.
“Yes, Werdum and I had a great fight. We fought with him striking, wrestling and grappling. I can work standing, I can work on the ground. I don’t know what to use in a fight, it depends on my opponent. I can work everywhere.”
Alexey Oleinik Preparing for The Black Beast, Derrick Lewis
Derrick Lewis hits hard, plain and simple. He’s known for his insanely funny post fight speeches and the ability to put an opponent away at any moment of the fight, no matter how bad he’s losing, just ask Alexander Volkov. Pair that with Lewis’ ability to seemingly just stand up when he’s on the ground and it makes the fight especially tough for Alexey Oleinik. Oleinik is prepared for the toughness and power of Lewis and plans to approach it like he does any other fight: smartly.
“Derrick Lewis hits hard, maybe the hardest in the UFC. I have to do my camp for a couple months. You can work with hard striking with only your mind and your technique. That’s how I’ve prepared for this fight.”
When Oleinik announced he had a fight coming up, a video of him on a beach in Miami was posted to his social media. He received a contract in a bottle, pulled it out and signed the contract. He then sent the contract back out to sea, accepting the fight. Coyly, Oleinik played down the joke.
“Dana White and the UFC sent me the contract for the fight. I just took the bottle on the beach in Miami and I opened the bottle and signed the contract and returned the contract.”
The career of Alexey Oleinik
Alexey Oleinik has had an incredibly lengthy and accomplished career. He has a 59-13-1 record with wins over Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, and Travis Browne. At 43 years old, Oleinik says he doesn’t have too much longer to fight. “Not too much longer, maybe ten years,” he said with a wink and a nod. When I double checked to make sure he said ten years, he responded, “Maybe less, eight or nine.”
Oleinik has also recently parted ways with First Round Management. While they may have parted ways, Oleinik insists that the relationship with the management company is still good and he left on good terms. He says that it was only due to a desire to focus on his career instead of the top names they manage.
“We finished my relationship with First Round Management. We had a good relationship but in my opinion, any management must do everything for each fighter, not only the one, two, or three most popular with the most reach. Everything is good, we still have a good relationship.”
Training for a fight has been hampered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it did hinder Alexey Oleinik slightly, he still got the job done and got his training camp in order. He says he’s ready for the fight with Lewis in Vegas.
“That’s a problem for me and thousands and thousands of people and professional fighters and non-professional fighters. But we still trained, changed my training process but we trained and trained.”
I asked Oleinik about the upcoming fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. While he admitted it is a good fight, he says he’s only focused on his fight and wants to be prepared for that when the day comes.
“For me, for each professional fighter, my fight is more important for me than any other fighter. For each fighter, his fight is the most important for him than other fighters. We have a very big name, good names I don’t think about other fighters. I think about me, my future fight and about my opponent. That’s all.”
Alexey Oleinik takes on Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 6 this weekend. Be sure to follow him on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to follow the next ten years of his career.
Want more ahead of UFC Vegas 6? Check out our interview with Wellington Turman below!
Wellington Turman: The Dark Knight Rises
Wellington Turman is making his return to the octagon after getting his first win in the UFC. Now the 24 year old looks to build momentum and make a name for himself at a young age.
