Gian Villante vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Announced for UFC Prague

Gian Villante UFC
Gian Villante UFC Moncton Weigh-In Credit: Jay Anderson/Cageside Press

Long Island native Gian Villante will be fighting far from home when he meets Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Prague next month.

Gian Villante’s next bout is officially announced. On Monday, the UFC confirmed via social media that Villante would indeed face Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Prague. Villante had dropped his opponent’s name while speaking to the media at UFC Brooklyn over the weekend.

Light heavyweight Villante (17-10) was last seen at UFC Moncton in October, where he captured the win in a razor-thin split decision against a game Ed ‘Short Fuse’ Herman. The victory marked the fourth straight split decision for Villante, who has gone 2-2 across those four fights.

For Gian Villante, the chance to snap that split decision streak and make it two in a row comes while taking on the returning Michal Oleksiejczuk. Oleksiejczuk made his debut at UFC 219, earning a decision win over Khalil Rountree Jr. That, however, was flipped to a No Contest when he ran afoul of the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy. The Polish fighter tested positive for Clomiphene and was forced to sit out a year.

UFC Prague, numerically UFC Fight Night 145, takes place February 23, 2019 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The card is headlined by light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos.