UFC 219 Prelims: Replacement Michal Oleksiejczuk Handles Khalil Rountree in Octagon Debut
Michal
Oleksiejczuk, if nothing else, got his feet wet in a
talent-starved
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.
The 22-year-old Polish prospect outstruck and outhustled Khalil Rountree across three rounds and pocketed a convincing unanimous in the featured UFC 219 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Oleksiejczuk (13-2, 1-0 UFC), a short-notice replacement for the injured Gokhan Saki.
Rountree (6-3, 2-3 UFC) stormed out of the gate but faded late in
the first round. Oleksiejczuk’s patience paid off, as he seized
control with front kicks to the body, short standing elbows and
stinging leg kicks before turning to clean punching combinations.
He withstood an early volley from Rountree in the third round,
executed a takedown and wore out the
Syndicate MMA export on the ground, passing to side control and
ultimately threatening to finish it with a rear-naked choke.
Oleksiejczuk has won 10 fights in a row.
Well-timed takedowns, a ruthless commitment to body kicks and sneaky power punches to the head carried Myles Jury to a three-round unanimous decision over former World Series of Fighting champion Rick Glenn in a preliminary featherweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Jury (17-2, 8-2 UFC), who has pieced together a two-fight winning streak since his guillotine choke submission loss to Charles Oliveira two years ago.
Glenn (20-5-1, 2-2 UFC) enjoyed some success in the clinch but found the going rough elsewhere. Jury buried his shin into the Team Alpha Male rep’s midsection with one well-placed kick after another, rang his bell with a few left hooks upstairs, mixed in takedowns when opportunities arose and outclassed him in the grappling exchanges.
Former Venator Fighting Championship titleholder Marvin Vettori fought to a majority draw with Omari Akhmedov in a grueling undercard scrap at 185 pounds. Two cageside judges scored it 28-28, while a third saw it 29-28 for Vettori. Neither man was satisfied with the outcome.
Akhmedov (17-4-1, 5-3-1 UFC) raced out to an early advantage by ripping kicks to the inside of the Italian’s lead leg and firing off winging punches with both hands. However, his high-velocity strikes failed to produce a finish and taxed his gas tank. Vettori (12-3-1, 2-1-1 UFC) capitalized on his fatiguing opponent in the second half of the fight and did his best work in the third round, where he lit up the American Top Team representative with a multi-punch volley, a jumping knee and swarming punches before stunning him later with a slashing straight left.
The draw snapped Akhmedov’s two-fight winning streak.
Matheus Nicolau Pereira made a triumphant return from a United States Anti-Doping Agency suspension, as he captured a one-sided unanimous decision from Gracie Technics standout Louis Smolka in a preliminary flyweight clash. In his first appearance since July 2016, Pereira (13-1-1, 3-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-26 and 30-25 marks from the judges.
Smolka (11-5, 5-5 UFC) endured a nightmarish first round on his way to a fourth consecutive loss. The Hawaiian hit the deck three times, Pereira exacting his damage with a lightning-quick left hook and a powerful right cross. By the time the first round was done, the right side of Smolka’s face was mush. Pereiera’s pace slowed over the final 10 minutes, but he remained in complete control despite easing his foot off the gas.
Pereira, 24, has won six straight fights.
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner Tim Elliott submitted Mark Delarosa with an anaconda choke in the second round of their undercard scrap at 135 pounds. Delarosa (9-1, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 1:41 into Round 2, having been thoroughly outclassed in his promotional debut.
Elliott (15-8-1, 4-6 UFC) initiated scrambles without much resistance, shedding an attempted armbar and guillotine choke before getting down to business in top position. Early in the second round, the former Titan Fighting Championships titleholder once again outmaneuvered Delarosa on the ground, cinched the anaconda choke and squeezed until the deed was done.
A protégé of the late Robert Follis, Elliott has rattled off five wins across his last seven outings.
The 22-year-old Polish prospect outstruck and outhustled Khalil Rountree across three rounds and pocketed a convincing unanimous in the featured UFC 219 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Oleksiejczuk (13-2, 1-0 UFC), a short-notice replacement for the injured Gokhan Saki.
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Oleksiejczuk has won 10 fights in a row.
Related » UFC 219 Round-by-Round Scoring
Well-Rounded Jury Outpoints Glenn
Well-timed takedowns, a ruthless commitment to body kicks and sneaky power punches to the head carried Myles Jury to a three-round unanimous decision over former World Series of Fighting champion Rick Glenn in a preliminary featherweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Jury (17-2, 8-2 UFC), who has pieced together a two-fight winning streak since his guillotine choke submission loss to Charles Oliveira two years ago.
Glenn (20-5-1, 2-2 UFC) enjoyed some success in the clinch but found the going rough elsewhere. Jury buried his shin into the Team Alpha Male rep’s midsection with one well-placed kick after another, rang his bell with a few left hooks upstairs, mixed in takedowns when opportunities arose and outclassed him in the grappling exchanges.
Vettori, Akhmedov Battle to Draw
Former Venator Fighting Championship titleholder Marvin Vettori fought to a majority draw with Omari Akhmedov in a grueling undercard scrap at 185 pounds. Two cageside judges scored it 28-28, while a third saw it 29-28 for Vettori. Neither man was satisfied with the outcome.
Akhmedov (17-4-1, 5-3-1 UFC) raced out to an early advantage by ripping kicks to the inside of the Italian’s lead leg and firing off winging punches with both hands. However, his high-velocity strikes failed to produce a finish and taxed his gas tank. Vettori (12-3-1, 2-1-1 UFC) capitalized on his fatiguing opponent in the second half of the fight and did his best work in the third round, where he lit up the American Top Team representative with a multi-punch volley, a jumping knee and swarming punches before stunning him later with a slashing straight left.
The draw snapped Akhmedov’s two-fight winning streak.
Pereira Subdues Reeling Smolka
Matheus Nicolau Pereira made a triumphant return from a United States Anti-Doping Agency suspension, as he captured a one-sided unanimous decision from Gracie Technics standout Louis Smolka in a preliminary flyweight clash. In his first appearance since July 2016, Pereira (13-1-1, 3-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-26 and 30-25 marks from the judges.
Smolka (11-5, 5-5 UFC) endured a nightmarish first round on his way to a fourth consecutive loss. The Hawaiian hit the deck three times, Pereira exacting his damage with a lightning-quick left hook and a powerful right cross. By the time the first round was done, the right side of Smolka’s face was mush. Pereiera’s pace slowed over the final 10 minutes, but he remained in complete control despite easing his foot off the gas.
Pereira, 24, has won six straight fights.
Elliott Throttles Newcomer Delarosa
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner Tim Elliott submitted Mark Delarosa with an anaconda choke in the second round of their undercard scrap at 135 pounds. Delarosa (9-1, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 1:41 into Round 2, having been thoroughly outclassed in his promotional debut.
Elliott (15-8-1, 4-6 UFC) initiated scrambles without much resistance, shedding an attempted armbar and guillotine choke before getting down to business in top position. Early in the second round, the former Titan Fighting Championships titleholder once again outmaneuvered Delarosa on the ground, cinched the anaconda choke and squeezed until the deed was done.
A protégé of the late Robert Follis, Elliott has rattled off five wins across his last seven outings.
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