UFC 249 - Aleksei Oleinik edges out Fabricio Werdum in close contest

Fabricio Werdum's hopes of making a perfect return to the UFC after two years were well and truly destroyed by Aleksei Oleinik. The Russian's striking game proved too much for Werdum in the end as Oleinik clinched the bout with a 29-28 score on the judges' scorecards.

Werdum returned to the Octagon against Oleinik after a two-year gap, and from the get-go, the Russian pressured the former heavyweight champion. Oleinik stalked Werdum all over the Octagon and whenever he was in reach, unleashed a barrage of punches on the Brazilian fighter.

Constant pressure did the trick for Oleinik

Werdum repeatedly found himself with his back against the cage and Oleinik pounced on the openings he found, unleashing merciless punishment on the Brazilian. Although Oleinik got taken down, he displayed resilience and got back to his feet before launching haymakers at Werdum, trying to put the Brazilian to sleep.

🇧🇷 Werdum taking it to Oleinik as we come down the stretch!@FabricioWerdum #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/ix8jtsMXDC

— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020

In the last round, Werdum took the Russian down again, trying to make his superior grappling count. Werdum tried to lock in numerous submissions but failed as Oleinik just wouldn't give in. The fight was evenly poised until the last second but Oleinik's aggressive approach got him the win this time. This was Werdum's second straight loss in the UFC.

The Boa Constrictor! 🐍🇷🇺 @OleynikUFC gets the nod at #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/eg2tKxKtJD

— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020