Following the news that Alexander Volkov will not fight Alistair Overeem at UFC Saint Petersburg this month, it’s being reported the decorated heavyweight has a new opponent.
Overeem and Volkov were booked to throw hands at the April 20th card, but recently the Russian fighter dropped out. The reason for Volkov’s withdrawal hasn’t been disclosed yet.
Well, now ESPN’s Ariel Helwani is reporting that sources say Aleksei Oleinik has agreed to step in and fight Overeem. The choke master was set to face Walt Harris on May 4th.
Overeem (44-17, 1 no-contest) quickly took out Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich in his last outing, at UFC Beijing in November.
Oleinik (57-11-1), meanwhile, tapped out Mark Hunt with a rear-naked-choke in his last fight, which was part of the UFC’s first ever card in Moscow in September.
So, this is an interesting match-up. Two of the UFC’s most experienced heavyweights, both men are finishers, and then obviously, the promotion still has a top Russian fighter to promote.