The cutthroat world of combat sports was brought home again to former UFC headliner Alex Oliveira on a Friday night. In his first-ever fight involving bare-knuckle boxing, he was set for an immense challenge against opponent Igor Ionov when the fight was staged for the REN TV Fight Club held in Russia. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, it did not go his way. He was floored twice in the first round and was forced into a very devastating TKO stoppage.
As the referee stopped the fight, He was seen attempting to realign his nose, visibly shaken from the beating he had taken. For him, it was a disappointing debut in the throwdown as he had transitioned from the UFC.
Early UFC Career: A Promising Start
Alex Oliveira made a good impression during his debut UFC stint where he was 3-1 and praised for his entertaining fashion of fighting. His potential led him to be scheduled for the headliner fight at UFC Fight Night 83 where he fought another fighter, nicknamed ‘Cowboy’, Donald Cerrone. Although he fell to a submission shortly into the first round the Brazilian was not deterred and came back strongly.
After defeat to Cerrone, Alex Oliveira produced a stunning upset on a 6-1 streak and a band of bonuses. A fan favorite, he had the aggression inside the octagon that seemed to predict a larger career with the UFC.
The Downward Spiral
However, Alex Oliveira’s fortunes began to turn in 2020. In October of that year, he was submitted in the first round by the talented Shavkat Rakhmonov. The loss started a four-fight losing skid for Alex Oliveira, out of which three were by submission. The fighter was released from the UFC by 2022 but had spent eight years in that promotion.
However, this proved to be a knockdown for Alex Oliveira who went on to fight in MMA and won three first-round TKO. Unfortunately, inconsistency plagued him, as he also suffered four stoppage losses, leading to a mixed 3-4 record in MMA
A Struggle to Regain Form
However, at 36 years of age, she is a supremely technical, and very dangerous fighter, but this loss extends his career losing streak to combat sports to three in a row. It has raised more eyebrows on his future in bare-knuckle boxing after riding into the fistic arena only to make a series of reversals. While Alex Oliveira has proven his toughness throughout his career, the toll of multiple losses is becoming increasingly evident.
This latest loss poses the question of whether he will recover from this defeat or whether this is the start of the decline of the former Superstar. As seen in his fighting career, he has to be equally exhilarating and frustrating to watch, either as a fighter or a fan; the decision that he makes moving forward will probably define his fighting future whether it would be a return to title contention or not.
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