‘The Boa Constrictor’ Strikes Again

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At UFC 246, Alexey Oleynik broke a two-fight losing skid and racked up the 46th submission victory of his 72-fight career. Yet, for a man who has scored so many wins using his vaunted grappling, this latest pelt did not come easily.

Late in the opening frame of his bout with The Ultimate Fighter Season 28 alum Maurice Greene, Oleynik synched in a scarf-hold choke. For a man with the reputation and track record of “The Boa Constrictor,” Greene looked to be seconds away from an eventual tap. However, the 12-fight veteran somehow survived the submission attempt and got out of the round. Looking back on his failed submission, the 43-year-old gave credit to his opponent’s preparation, and anatomy.

“I must give respect to my opponent. He prepared very well,” Oleynik told Sherdog. “He showed me better defense than I [expected]. And he’s much taller than my usual opponents.”

In addition to breaking down the technical mistake that he made due to Greene’s long frame, the Russian grappling ace also talked about working through exhausted arms and submitting “The Crochet Boss” in the second round. The conversation then shifted to Greene’s TUF housemate Juan Espino being in his corner on fight night and working with new striking coach Dr. Paul Gavoni the last few weeks of camp. The 23-year veteran then spoke about what still motivates him after all these years and if he sees an endpoint to his run in the sport. Plus, he talked about his grappling match with Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Gordon Ryan and gave his thoughts on how he would match up with heavyweight title contender, and fellow grappler, Curtis Blaydes.