Knockout king takes on submission specialist

Styles clash as Lewis takes on Oleinik

This Saturday night the octagon will hold two heavyweights with completely different fighting styles as knockout artist Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis looks to add to his highlight reel with a win over submission specialist “The Boa Constrictor” Aleksei Oleinik.

Lewis, who’s currently ranked fourth in the UFC’s heavyweight division, isn’t shy to let his opponents know that his only game plan is knocking you out. While Lewis may not be the most well-rounded fighter, he holds a record of 23 wins, seven losses and one no contest. Eighteen of Lewis’s wins have come by knockout, and Lewis is tied with former champs Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos for most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history at 10. Lewis is on a two-fight win streak since returning from ACL surgery back in March. Although Lewis’s last performance wasn’t the most impressive, he was still able to do enough to grind out the tough split decision win over former light heavyweight contender Ilir Latifi.

Oleinik, currently ranked No. 10 in the UFC’s heavyweight division, might be one of the oldest fighters on the UFC’s roster at 43, but he’s still just as dangerous as he was when he made his debut back in 1996. Oleinik holds a record of 59-13 and one draw. Forty-six of his wins are by submission. Oleinik is also currently riding a two-fight win streak, with his most recent win coming by decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum back in May.

Also on the card, Omari “Wolverine” Akhmedov can continue his impressive run in the UFC by beating former UFC middleweight champion “The All-American” Chris Weidman.

Akhmedov, currently ranked No. 11 in the UFC’s middleweight division, is a fighter who surprisingly isn’t talked about a lot, but probably should be. Akhmedov is currently riding a six-fight unbeaten streak with one draw in between the five wins. Akhmedov is very well rounded with a record of 20-4 and one draw. Seven of Akhmedov’s win have come by TKO/KO, five by submission and eight by decision.

Weidman, former UFC middleweight champion, has hit a rough patch in his career since losing his title to Luke Rockhold back in December 2015. Before the loss, Weidman was undefeated - beating the likes of former middleweight champion Anderson Silva twice, Demian Maia, and former light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. Weidman currently has a record of 14 wins and five losses. Since losing his belt, Weidman has only won one out of his last six fights, with those five losses all coming by TKO/KO, which includes his unsuccessful debut at light heavyweight back in October.

This Saturday night has fun fights in store for the world. These two fights can go either way, but I’m choosing Oleinik to win by first-round submission and Weidman by decision. Catch all the fights on ESPN+ this Saturday night!