Heavyweights
Alexey Oleynik (57-12-1) vs. Walt Harris (12-7)Advertisement
Nothing about Oleynik suggests his style should work, but 57 wins later, here we are. It took Oleynik nearly two decades to make his way to the UFC, but once he was picked up as part of the promotion’s 2014 expansion to sign everyone it could, “The Boa Constrictor” immediately lived up to his nickname, beating Anthony Hamilton with a neck crank in a shade over two minutes. Oleynik’s fighting style is all weird submissions and wild power hooks, which again, should not really work, but every time it looks like Oleynik has finally slowed down or been figured out, he just picks up right where he left off. After missing all of 2015 due to knee surgery, Oleynik looked sluggish in his comeback bout against Daniel Omielanczuk, but instead of the setback marking the beginning of the end, he won four of his next five fights and in unlikely fashion became the face of the UFC’s cards in Russia, headlining both of the organization’s shows in the country. Those appearances had mixed results. Oleynik shockingly managed to club and sub Mark Hunt but had little to offer Alistair Overeem in a first-round loss. However, if history is any indication, Oleynik will get right back to his winning ways here against Harris, unless the wheels finally start coming off.
Harris has done well to get this far, as there was a point where it looked like the Alabama native would not even get a UFC win. Harris’ first UFC run was over after two losses, but he quickly got the call back for a late-notice spot against Soa Palelei that ended in loss No. 3. That easily could have been it for “The Big Ticket,” but instead, he returned after a year off to beat Cody East and has been a growing concern at heavyweight ever since. Harris’ athleticism has allowed him to run over the vast swath of lower-tier heavyweights on the roster, though against better competition, the results have been a bit middling. Save for a quick submission loss to Fabricio Werdum, Harris has never quite gotten blown out of the water, but against Shamil Abdurakhimov and Andrei Arlovski, he has been more than willing to get lulled into a slow-paced contest that could easily go either way. Already 36 years old, it is in the eye of the beholder as to whether Harris will ever get over the hump, but heavyweight is the right division in which to make a late run. Just look at his opponent.
Harris theoretically should have enough to get things done here. He is a legitimate athlete with solid combination striking and knockout power, so Oleynik’s wild-yet-plodding game should leave him a sitting duck for whatever Harris decides to throw. However, Harris also does not stick out as a particularly high-IQ fighter and he also does not have much in the way of grappling defense, so it will probably only take one takedown for Oleynik to work his way towards a quick finish. This should be a mess, but it should also be over in short order. Harris is probably the smart pick on paper, but he is also not particularly inspiring, so the bet is that he is still a level below the Russian in terms of being an effective fighter. The pick is Oleynik via first-round submission.
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