5 most explosive moments from UFC 273: Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie

#4. Aleksei Oleinik demonstrates his deadly grappling once again

Aleksei Oleinik used brute force as well as skill to submit Jared Vanderaa

Given that he was coming off three straight losses and turned 44 years old last June, fans would definitely have been forgiven for writing off Aleksei Oleinik at this stage. However, ‘The Boa Constrictor’ turned the clock back last night by pulling off a stunning victory that netted him a $50,000 bonus in the process.

Faced with a giant, if slightly unheralded opponent in the form of Jared Vanderaa, Oleinik looked to be in trouble early on when the fight hit the mat.

‘The Mountain’ managed to take the back of the veteran and appeared to be about to choke him out in what would’ve been a rare submission defeat for Oleinik. However, the Ukraine native had plenty in the tank.

Somehow, he was able to cause a scramble that allowed him to turn the tables on his larger opponent, taking Vanderaa’s back before quickly hopping into side mount as his opponent attempted to roll free.

From there, ‘The Boa Constrictor’ locked up a neck crank variant, squeezed with all his might, and forced ‘The Mountain’ to tap out.

Was this an explosive finish in the classic sense? Not quite, but the sheer brutality of the submission definitely stood out, as not only did Oleinik use beautiful technique, he also used some serious force. In the process, he showed that there’s plenty left in him yet.

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#3. Mike Malott makes a devastating UFC debut with his knockout of Mickey Gall

Newcomer Mike Malott faceplanted Mickey Gall in a brutal finish

UFC debutant Mike Malott – who is also one of the coaches at Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male – was largely flying under the radar last night coming into his welterweight bout with Mickey Gall. After his performance, it’s unlikely he’ll be off anyone’s radar again.

In what was an incredibly exciting fight, Malott and Gall went toe-to-toe throughout the first round, with both men landing some heavy blows and Gall ending up with a bad cut around his right eye. However, as the round went on, it looked like the New Jersey native was beginning to take over.

However, before he could really capitalize on his momentum, Gall simply left himself far too open and ‘Proper Mike’ countered him as he stepped forward. A right-left combination switched Gall’s lights out completely, and he fell to the ground face-first in a scary scene.

It was a brutal finish from Malott on his octagon debut. He stated after the fight that he’d be giving half of his purse to help a teammate’s daughter fight cancer, which endeared him to the crowd even more. Essentially, his first bout in the big show couldn’t have gone any better.