UFC Fight Night 136 - Moscow Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC Fight Night 136? Saturday 15th August, 2018 - 19:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 136? Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Moscow, Russia
What channel is UFC Fight Night 136 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 136? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
Mark Hunt vs Alexsey Oleynik
Last 5 Fights
Two very experienced veterans with two very predictable game plans. Mark Hunt will strive for a vintage ‘walk-off’ knockout and Alexsey Oleynik will look to get his hands on the Super Samoan and wrap up a choke.
Hunt has some of the hardest hands in the sport so only needs one opportunity to turn off the lights. However, over the years we have seen the blueprint of how to avoid that knockout threat and take him down plus the Russian is as prolific as it gets on the ground with a staggering 46 submission victories.
This is not a good match-up for Hunt and if Oleynik gets the takedown before absorbing any damage, he is likely to earn another submission win.
Prediction: Oleynik via Submission
Jan Blachowicz vs Nikita Krylov
Last 5 Fights
Blachowicz is in the form of his life after avenging his loss to Jimi Manuwa but he is up against Nikita Krylov – a Master of Sports in Kyokushin Karate, Hand-to-Hand Combat and Submission Fighting - who has only lost one of his last ten fights.
With the division as shallow as it has ever been, an impressive finish could propel the victor into the title picture and impressive finishes come easy for Krylov who has astoundingly finished every single win (ten via KO and 14 via submission).
Blachowicz’s experience and granite chin could be the deciding factor in preventing the Ukrainian from finding his usual finish.
Prediction: Blachowicz via Decision
Andrei Arlovski vs Shamil Abdurakhimov
Last 5 Fights
Shamil Abdurakhimov is extremely well-rounded – he is a strong and decorated grappler as you would expect a fighter to be from Dagestan and he is also a very dangerous striker as we saw in his most recent fight against Chase Sherman.
Andrei Arlovski is going to have to call upon all of his substantial experience to subdue the threat and find a win. The Pitbull has seen and done it all in MMA and won’t be fazed by Abdurakhimov’s credentials and will be confident he can emulate Derrick Lewis and Tim Johnson who succeeded in knocking out the Russian.
Prediction: Arlovski via KO/TKO
Thiago Alves vs Alexey Kunchenko
Last 5 Fights
Alexey Kunchenko finally makes his debut for the UFC and has a mouth-watering match-up for his first test. The veteran Thiago Alves makes his first appearance on Russian soil which is a brave move at this stage of his career.
He has had a career which has been littered with injuries and has seen him struggle to find any consistency. He was also on the receiving end of a devastating knee courtesy of Curtis Millender in his last fight which is not ideal preparation against an assassin who is unbeaten with 13 knockouts to his name.
Although the Brazilian has a wealth of experience, he just isn’t the fighter he used to be and the M-1 Challenge champion is confident of capitalising on that. Kunchenko is expected to show off his Muay Thai skills and get his UFC career off to a flyer.
Prediction: Kunchenko via KO/TKO
Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.