Video | Oli Thompson scores brutal first-round knockout over Aleksei Oleinik in Russia

Oli Thompson handed Aleksei Oleinik a brutal first-round knockout loss.

Thompson and Oleinik shared the cage in a REN TV Fight Club headliner. The action emanated from the Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia. This one didn’t last long. In the opening frame, Thompson’s left hand shut the lights off Oleinik.

Oli Thompson destroys Alexey Oleynik with a massive right hand in the first round pic.twitter.com/AdWy25dQxR

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 26, 2023

Oli Thompson vs. Aleksei Oleinik Aftermath

With the stunning victory, Thompson’s pro MMA record improves to 22-16. This is the 14th KO/TKO victory for Thompson. As for Oleinik, he falls to 60-18-1. This is the 10th time in Oleinik’s career that he has suffered a KO/TKO defeat.

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This was Thompson’s first MMA win since June 2020. He had been on a four-fight skid. He was knocked out in three of those bouts. During his losing streak, Thompson fell short against Sergei Kharitonov, Saša Milinković, Ivan Vitasović, and Adam Wieczorek.

With the loss to Thompson, Oleinik now finds himself on a two-fight skid. He last victory was in April of last year under the UFC banner. Oleinik submitted Jared Vanderaa. Following a loss to Ilir Latifi, Oleinik’s time with the UFC came to an end. He had 17 fights in the UFC, and went 9-8 under the promotion.

Time will tell what’s next for Oleinik, who turns 46 years old on June 25. The 79-fight veteran has said he wants to fight as long as possible, but perhaps now’s the time to start considering walking away after this brutal knockout.

Thompson, age 43, may have renewed confidence following his highlight reel finish over Oleinik. He has never let a string of losses deter him from fighting on. This time was no exception and it’s quite impressive given that he was making his debut in Russia, which was enemy territory as the crowd was heavily in favor of Oleinik.