Russian Alexei Oleynik who competed in the UFC from 2014 to 2022, recalled in an interview with a joint training with his compatriot Alexander Volkov during which the fighters practiced strangling Ezekiel.
At UFC 293, Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov submitted Australian Tai Tuivasa after a rare choke from Ezekiel, which UFC commentators repeatedly called the “Oleynik choke”, as Oleynik won several fights with this technique. After the fight, Volkov himself greeted the mixed martial arts veteran and recalled the joint training that took place more than 10 years ago. Currently, Oleynik trains in Moscow, Volkov in Las Vegas.
— Sasha and I trained a while ago. A lot or a little, but it worked and I tried to pass on some of my knowledge. I’ve never had any secrets in technology. And I also showed Sasha everything he could ask for. And I didn’t ask for that either. It was a long time ago, we then went to the karate gym where he trained, I remember it was some sort of basement. And we came to fight sambo with Valery Volostnykh, practiced painful techniques, even wrist techniques, painful and suffocating. Sasha then complained that his weakness was wrestling, and I offered to help and said, “Let’s train together.”
—You have shown this technique to many people. Are you surprised at what exactly Volkov managed to do?
– Not surprised. First, Sasha, with her build and data, has everything to do it. Secondly, he has a very technical head. I’m talking about thinking in general, the fact that he can remember well and do something according to an algorithm. The only thing that surprised me is that Sasha is a good striker and during the fight he dominated the position, but ended like this, with a move.
— How would you assess, as an expert, the technique of the technique?
– No questions, I did well. Sometimes I use my chin to help me a little, but in principle I did it well.
— Let’s imagine that you are in Tuivasa’s place, will you manage to move away from this technique?
— In this technique, there is a moment when the fist passes under the chin. If it has crossed over and surfaced towards the neck, it is almost impossible to escape. But I found a loophole and I might try. Although in general, if performed correctly, if the fist crosses the chin line, then that’s it,” Oleinik told .
Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
