UFC on ESPN+ 32 breakdown: Can Aleksei Oleinik make Derrick Lewis his latest submission victim?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC on ESPN+ 32.

UFC on ESPN+ 32 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Derrick Lewis (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC)

Staple info:

• Height: 6’3″ Age: 35 Weight: 261 lbs. Reach: 79″
• Last fight: Decision win over Ilir Latifi (Feb. 8, 2020)
• Camp: 4oz. Fight Club (Texas)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Legacy FC heavyweight title
+ Regional MMA accolades
+ 18 KO victories
+ 1 submission win
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Dangerous right hand
^ Variates between overhands and uppercuts
+ Underrated kicks and knees
^ Works well off lead side
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Strikes well off the breaks
+ Improved grappling and positional awareness
^ Deceptive scrambling/getup ability
+ Devastating ground striker

Aleksei Oleinik (59-13-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC)

Staple info:

• Height: 6’2″ Age: 43 Weight: 227 lbs. Reach: 80″
• Last fight: Decision win over Fabricio Werdum (May 9, 2020)
• Camp: American Top Team (Florida)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ 2x combat sambo world champion
+ Master of sports in combat sambo
+ 8 KO victories
+ 46 submission wins
+ 45 first-round finishes
+ Deceptively heavy hands
^ Strikes well off the breaks
+ Crafty inside the clinch
^ Sets up chokes and takedowns
+ Good transitional grappler
^ Works well from topside
+ Dangerous and diverse submissions
^ Scrambles well to secure them
+/-Aggressive pace and pressure
^ Traditionally takes damage

Point of interest: Swangin’ and bangin’

The main event in Las Vegas features a fun pairing of heavyweights who show no hesitance when it comes to swinging for the fences.

Stepping onto the scene as an unabashed brawler, Derrick Lewis has shown signs of improvements underneath the scary destructions that often take place in his fights. An athletic mover for his size, Lewis can throw accurate knees and head kicks with little signs of struggle.

A downright scary distance closer when he chooses to be, Lewis can force his opponents into the fence whether or not he lands on them, almost in a juggernaut-like fashion. With a frame that is hard to control in close, the 35-year-old slugger does his best work when striking off of the breaks, maintaining a dangerous potency in small spaces that goes deep into the fight.

Lewis also has an appetite for the counter, as he’s not beyond setting traps and playing possum in order to draw his opponents onto his uncanny power. But giving his willing dance partner in Aleksei Oleinik, I doubt that Lewis will have to worry about action coming his way.

Looking like a mercenary who stepped off of a movie set, Oleinik makes no bones about his mission once the bell rings. Aggressively stalking at a borderline lurch, the 43-year-old makes his attacks somewhat unpredictable, but at the cost of carrying a porous defense.

Luckily for Oleinik, he is a durable warrior who recovers well and is difficult to shake from his objective. Furthermore, his willingness to close the distance (albeit reckless at times), allows Oleinik to transition from wading hooks to some crafty clinch warfare.

Oleinik also has a deceptive ability to counter, occasionally timing an opponent’s kicks or crashing with their entries. Still, the battle-tested vet will play with fire should he gamble too liberally with his chin in this contest.

Next point of interest: Grappling with the beast