The hunt for the win is on. 60 continues for Aleksei Oleinik.
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin has confirmed with sources with knowledge of the matchup that Oleinik (59-16-1) will fight Ilir Latifi (15-8, 1 NC) in a heavyweight bout at UFC Columbus on March 26. The bout was first reported by BJPenn.com.
This is a welcome booking for both men who recently saw matchups fizzle, with Oleinik withdrawing from a bout against Greg Hardy scheduled for UFC 270 on Jan. 22, and Latifi losing a Feb. 19 booking when Alexander Romanov withdrew from the contest.
In his attempt to win his 60th professional MMA title, Oleinik lost his last three fights. He lost a unanimous decision against Serghei SPivac in his latest bout. This was following back-to-back TKO defeats to Chris Daukaus, and Derrick Lewis.
Latifi is 1-1 since moving up to the UFC’s heavyweight division. He won a split decision over Tanner Boser last June to rebound from a decision loss to Lewis in February 2020.
UFC Columbus takes places at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26. A headliner is still to be announced.
