Heavyweight veteran and submission machine Aleksei Oleinik is no longer part of the UFC roster.
Oleinik, 45, lost an uneventful unanimous decision to Ilir Latifi at UFC Vegas 61 earlier this month. The bout was the last on his UFC deal, and dropped “The Boa Constrictor” to 1-4 in his last five fights.
UFC Roster Watch, an automated service on Twitter, was first to note Oleinik being removed from the promotion’s fighter database.
The Russian joined the UFC in 2014, and is the only fighter in the company’s history to successfully pull off an Ezekiel choke (with 14 career wins via Ezekiel, two would come inside the octagon). Oleinik had also represented the most experienced name in the organization, with 78 pro fights as of October 1.
Oleinik holds notable wins over former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, title contender Mark Hunt, Travis Browne, and outside of the UFC, the legendary Mirko Cro-Cop. His career began way back in 1996, when he won the single-night Minamoto Cup Heavyweight Tournament.
Joining the UFC late is his career, Oleinik had over fifty pro fights by the time he arrived in the octagon — an almost unheard of statistic. He would headline three events in his time with the promotion, against Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, and Derrick Lewis, going 1-2 in those appearances. Always a threat on the ground, Oleinik secured his most recent win earlier this year, submitting Jared Vanderaa via scarf-hold choke.
