WATCH | 47-year-old UFC veteran suffers brutal one-punch KO in scary bare knuckle fight

Aleksei Oleinik fans, look away. The 47-year-old Russian heavyweight, known for his exciting run in the UFC, was back in action on April 4, when he took on fellow MMA veteran Geronimo Dos Santos in a bare knuckle boxing fight at BKFC Dubai.

It could not have gone much worse for him.

In the waning moments of the first round, Oleinik was hit with a blistering right hand that immediately separated him from consciousness. It was a concerning scene, particularly given the fact that he is 47 years old.

See it below:

Geronimo dos Santos SLEEPS Aleksei Oleinik with one punch! #BKFC71 pic.twitter.com/centGohRbj

— Matysek (@Matysek88) April 4, 2025

Oleinik boasts an insane MMA record of 61-18-1. He has picked up wins over a number of legends, including Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. However, he was always known as a grappler first and foremost, and famously scored several of the only Ezekiel chokes in UFC history.

That had some fans questioning what the heck he was doing competing in BKFC — a bare knuckle fighting promotion with a similar rule set to traditional boxing.

“Who can celebrate” seeing Oleinik get KO’d in BKFC?

Clearly, it was a bad idea — and the fans aren’t afraid to say it on social media.

“That’s the type of fighter and matchmaking BKFC needs to steer the f**k away from,” popular combat sports expert Caposa said on X. “Who can even celebrate that?”

“Why’s he competing in a striking only sport when he made his career grappling,” another fan wrote.

“I just hope Oleinik got paid. Idk why he signed up for this that was sad to watch,” said a third fan.

Saturday’s BKFC card in Dubai also featured appearances from several other MMA notables. That’s including Oleinik’s fellow UFC veteran Sabah Homasi, who suffered a surprising decision defeat to underdog Jonny Tello later on the main card.

Do you think BKFC made a mistake letting Aleksei Oleinik fight?