Who is the oldest fighter still fighting on the UFC roster in 2021?
With the retirement of Marion Reneau, heavyweight fighter Alexei Oleinik became the oldest person on the UFC roster. Born just five days after Reneau, Oleinik has truly been there since the early days of mixed martial arts.
His debut fight took place almost 25 years ago when he fought and beat Alexandr Kruglenko, Sergey Zalikhvatko, and Artem Kondratko on the same day to win the Minamoto Cup Heavyweight Tournament. This was the start of one of the longest careers in the world of MMA, and 'The Boa Constrictor' has fought 76 times since then.
Oleinik has a record of 59-16-1, and he has finished an astonishing 46 people via submission. He is known for his Ezekiel Choke and is the only fighter in UFC history to submit two people with it. The Russian fighter has had a great career in the UFC and has fought 15 times since joining the organization in 2014.
However, he is on a bad run right now, and it seems like it's time for the veteran fighter to retire. Oleinik is on a three-fight losing streak, with two of those losses coming via knockout. His last fight against Sergey Spivak was a significantly better performance, but it wasn't enough; all three judges scored the contest 29-28 in favor of Spivak.
Also Read: UFC veteran Aleksei Oleinik points out how MMA has drastically changed over the 25 years of his career
Who will become the oldest fighter on the UFC roster if Aleksei Oleinik retires?
Oleinik looks like he might retire soon, and if he does, welterweight star Demian Maia will become the oldest person on the UFC roster. Maia turns 44 in November and is still fighting elite contenders at welterweight.
He is on a two-fight losing streak after losing to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad in his last two fights; both are top contenders. Burns fought Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title and lost, while Muhammad looks to rise the ranks.
Maia is one of the biggest legends of the UFC and has fought with the organization since 2007. Fans would hate to see the Brazilian fighter hang up his gloves, but he has had a fantastic career and is looking forward to fighting one more time.