Better Jiu-jitsu than his own? No way. UFC 246 winner Aleksei Oleinik disputes Fabricio Werdum’s claim of having the better jiu-jitsu of the pair.
Las Vegas, NV — UFC 246 saw Aleksei Oleinik earn his 46th submission victory, an astonishing feat in a career that began way back in 1996.
On Saturday, it was TUF 28 veteran Maurice Greene who became the latest victim of ‘The Boa Constrictor.’ In securing the win, Oleinik reminded the UFC’s heavyweight division to stay off the ground with him.
While Oleinik was unable to pull off his patented Ezekiel choke, it didn’t matter. Latching on to opponent Greene with an arm-bar, Oleinik was able to force the tap in the second round.
Oleinik improved to a mind-boggling 58-13-1 with the win. And aside from the Ezekiel choke, Oleinik also came close with a scarf-hold choke in the opening round of the fight. “Very close,” he agreed when asked about that attempt post-fight, speaking with reporters including Cageside Press, “but my opponent is too tall.” In a game of inches, Greene’s height saved him. That time, anyway.
A triangle attempt by Maurice Greene was “not too close,” Oleinik said later. Greene had stated heading into the fight that he had been working on his grappling. “He prepared very well,” Oleinik acknowledged, “but not enough for my grappling.”
Oleinik looked exhausted prior to picking up the win, and acknowledged that he was “very tired — but my opponent tired too.”
The biggest takeaway from Aleksei Oleinik’s victory at UFC 246 might be that he caught the attention of former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. Werdum, who is set to return from a USADA sanction later this year, called for a fight with Oleinik almost immediately after Saturday’s bout. Saying that he felt his Jiu-Jitsu was better than Oleinik’s, the Brazilian added “you can be my special guest for my return in the UFC.”
Oleinik, himself a BJJ black belt, replied by saying that “you can see that this is not true. His jiu-jitsu is not better than me.”
“Fabricio Werdum is a very good fighter,” Oleinik added. “This might happen in the future. Maybe I will fight [him].”
Frankly after UFC 246, that’s the fight to make.
Watch the full UFC 246 post-fight press scrum with Aleksei Oleinik above!
