Preview: UFC Fight Night 145 ‘Blachowicz vs. Santos’

Light Heavyweights

Gian Villante (17-10) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (12-2)

ODDS: Oleksiejczuk (-225), Villante (+175)

Villante is still here. If you watch 20 seconds of any Villante fight, you can see why he was once considered a top prospect. As a near-miss NFL prospect, he has a high level of athleticism, and everything he does is technically sound. However, there is no overall vision, as Villante has some of the worst fight IQ in the sport. He just throws the same few combinations in the same speed at the same pace, and even when his opponent figures things out, Villante fails to adjust. That is why Villante is riding a string of split decisions, even against physically overmatched opposition like Sam Alvey and Ed Herman. Worse, it is not like Villante is getting better over time. A few years ago, he would at least sometimes bust out a decent wrestling game, but now it is nowhere to be found. At any rate, Villante’s fights can still make for fun brawls against willing opponents, and if nothing else, Oleksiejczuk fits that description.

Watching his pre-UFC film, it was easy to think that Oleksiejczuk was a fighter who would have trouble at the UFC level, as nearly all of his fights were of the comeback variety, with the Pole eating damage from his opponents until he could outlast them and knock them out. As it turns out, Oleksiejczuk might be tough enough to thread that needle. In a late-notice UFC debut, he ate everything powerful hitter Khalil Rountree had to offer before taking over, exploiting his exhaustion and winning a decision. Oleksiejczuk then missed all of 2018 due to a failed drug test, but with that now behind him, he once again gets a chance to prove that his style is more effective than it looks.

This will not be a high-level fight, but it should provide some fun action due to the combatants’ willingness to trade. Oleksiejczuk should be able to absorb whatever Villante throws his way, but this is a bit of an interesting challenge, if only to see how well he holds up with someone who can punch him for 15 minutes and probably not get exhausted. Still, Oleksiejczuk should eventually adjust to what Villante does and counter with some consistency. It may not be pretty, but the pick is Oleksiejczuk via decision.

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