Aleksei Oleinik vs. Walt Harris targeted for UFC Ottawa

MMAfighting.com

A pair of heavyweights will clash in Canada’s capital city.

A bout between Aleksei Oleinik and Walt Harris is targeted for UFC Ottawa on May 4, sources confirmed Tuesday with MMA Fighting. ESPN was the first to report the news.

Oleinik (57-11-1) is on a roll right now, winning two straight. Most recently, the Ukraine native, who currently lives and trains in Florida, defeated Mark Hunt by first-round submission in the main event of UFC Moscow. Oleinik, 41, has won 15 of his last 17 fights and carved out a solid position in the UFC heavyweight division 23 years into his pro MMA career.

All six of Oleinik’s UFC wins have come via finish, including five submissions.

Harris (11-7, 1 NC) would have fought Oleinik earlier this year if not for a four-month suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) due to a positive drug test in relation to UFC 232 in December. Harris’ win over Andrei Arlovski on that card was overturned to a no contest. Harris, 35, was able to prove via testing that a supplement he took was tainted with the banned substance LGD4033, leading to CSAC giving him a reduced suspension.

If not for the drug-test failure, Harris would have been on a two-fight winning streak and is in the midst of one of the best runs of his career.

UFC Ottawa currently features a middleweight fight between Derek Brunson and Elias Theodorou, as well as another intriguing heavyweight encounter pitting Arjan Bhullar against Juan Adams.