UFC Fight Night 136 Preview
Getting ahead in a promotion like the UFC is always a tough thing but it might not be tougher than in the heavyweight division.
The heavyweight division is a division full of fighters that have generally been built the same for years.
The biggest men in the fight game essentially come into every fight looking to knock someone out.
They are the type of fighters with the biggest power in fighting and any shot can end a fight quickly.
That is why the heavyweight division is such an exciting division because any fighter can take a win in a split second.
They have that knockout ability and there are almost no fighters in the division without that knockout power.
It is a division full of strong stand-up fighters but because of the concentration on the stand-up game, the other aspect of fighting tends to be forgotten.
There has been a rare fighter in the heavyweight division who brought with him a real ground game that was a main part of his strategy.
It isn’t an easy thing to find heavyweights who have been wrestling and doing Jiu Jitsu for their entire lives.
These men are over 210 lbs with most coming into the octagon closer to 265 lbs and there aren’t many of them in those ground disciplines.
For heavyweights wanting success though it could be a good strategy as being different can be a major advantage.
Heavyweights are known for that power and stand-up game so most fighters are constantly training on getting stronger and fine-tuning their stand up game.
One of the most successful ever, Stipe Miocic, was so technical boxing that he was able to pick people apart despite his wrestling background.
He rarely took fights to the ground, although it was a part of his toolbox, and chose to use that technical boxing to become the most successful heavyweight champion ever.
Like anyone else in this division though it only takes one punch to end the reign and that happened when Daniel Cormier moved up to heavyweight and took the belt.
For a fighter trying to make their way through the rankings, the best strategy might not be to stand and bang with other strong fighters.
Frank Mir knew this and rode his jiu-jitsu background to a heavyweight championship while being one of the best ever in the UFC.
Now a new fighter is taking that strategy and looking to make his own run up the rankings towards the title.
Alexey Oleinik brings a familiar set of skills to the UFC but a set of skills that are rarely seen in the heavyweight division.
A 4th-degree black belt and International Master of Sports in Combat Sambo he doesn’t stand out among the rest of the roster.
There are any number of black belts in the FUC and the Russian invasion taking over some of the smaller divisions is full of Combat Sambo masters.
Oleinik brings that skill set to a division without many who can match it though as there are wrestlers but most have forgotten that aspect of their game.
It gives Oleinik a bit of an advantage as when he gets to the ground he can truly dominate other fighters with ground control.
In his short time in the UFC he has become known for his ability to lock in the Ezekiel Choke winning two fights with the choke as well as two by neck crank.
He now heads into another major test in his UFC career as he looks to beat a legend of the game and one of the best strikers in MMA history.
Mark Hunt is one of the most powerful fighters to ever step into the octagon as his overhand right has put a lot of people to sleep.
He is the king of the walk-off but like so many others he doesn’t have much of a ground game despite his ability to prevent takedowns.
Oleinik will look to get this fight to the ground where he is far more comfortable and where he can easily take a win.
Hunt will try to land that big shot and stay relevant in the division as he takes on a fighter looking to do things differently.
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