Oleinik Joins Bellator’s Heavyweight Ranks

Bellator Fighting Championships on Thursday acquired the services of Ukrainian Alexey Oleinik, a judo black belt who will compete in the promotion’s ongoing heavyweight tournament. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Oleinik joins the unbeaten Damian Grabowski, UFC veterans Neil Grove and Eddie Sanchez, Rogent Lloret, Mike Hayes, Scott Barrett and two-time NCAA wrestling champion Cole Konrad in the eight-man draw. Grove needed just 92 seconds to eliminate Sanchez at Bellator 24 on Aug. 12.

“Oleinik is a great final addition to this stacked heavyweight tournament,” Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a release. “He’s one of the most threatening and versatile heavyweights in the sport with extremely dangerous submission skills, which makes him a legitimate threat to anyone he faces in the heavyweight division.”

Anchored at the Red Devil Sports Club, Oleinik has not competed since November 2009, when he succumbed to first-round strikes from Michal Kita under the International Absolute Fighting Council banner in Russia. It was just the fifth defeat of his 33-fight career. The 33-year-old has delivered 23 of his 27 wins by submission.