UFC Fight Night 185 will feature Aleksei Oleinik vs Chris Daukaus as part of its main card. Oleinik is at the tail end of his career and has opened as the betting underdog against the young and athletic Daukaus, whose recent UFC performances make it hard to bet against him. Oleinik has superior reach and experience, but it might not be enough.
UFC Fight Night 185 has another heavyweight bout on the main card besides the main event. Aleksei Oleinik vs Chris Daukaus is set to give the fans a matchup between an experienced veteran in Oleinik and a young, hard-hitting bruiser in Daukaus. Oleinik is one of those fighters who seems like he’s been around forever. He’s had quite the UFC career and still looks sharp despite dropping his last fight back in August 2020. He lost that fight to Derrick Lewis via KO/TKO, but he looked great in his two fights leading up to that one. He submitted Maurice Greene with an armbar technique in January 2020 and followed that up with a split decision victory against Fabricio Werdum. He’s 43 years old, so his matchup with Chris Daukaus isn’t exactly inviting, but he’s got plenty of skills and experience that sometimes are more important than athleticism and size. He’s also got four inches more on his reach than Daukaus, so it’s not like Oleinik is totally outclassed. The best MMA betting sites in NJ and UFC betting predictions favor Daukaus, and with good reason. Daukaus is fairly new to the UFC, but he demolished his first two opponents in the promotion, knocking them both out in the first round. Oleinik will be Daukaus’ first real test, so he might not look as unstoppable as he has in the past. Still, his striking ability has looked borderline scary, and he’s going to be a star in the UFC. The NJ online sportsbook review and NJ-approved sports betting sites have listed odds for both fighters. Right now, BetMGM is the place to bet on the underdog Oleinik at +155 odds, but FanDuel has the best odds for Daukaus at -180. The value isn’t great, but I’m rooting for the young brawler to make a statement against the veteran Russian warrior.
Daukaus is eager to establish himself with a win against an experienced UFC fighter like Oleinik. It won’t be easy, but he’s a vicious striker, so I like his chances to do so. My prediction: Daukaus wins by KO/TKO in 2nd round.
