Alex Oliveira secured his 25th professional MMA win with an unexpected fight-ending sequence.
On Friday, June 2, Oliveira returned to action for his 42nd pro-MMA fight. The UFC veteran fought on the main card of Titan FC 82, which was co-promoted by SBC and took place in Novi Sad, Serbia. ‘Cowboy’ was matched up against Stefan Sekulic, who was previously riding a four-fight winless streak.
With less than two minutes in the first round, Oliveira was pressed against the cage while Sekulic looked to secure a takedown. After landing several light punches in the clinch, ‘Cowboy’ threw his opponent to the ground with a judo throw, knocking out the Serbian fighter.
Alex Oliveira fought in the UFC from 2015 to 2022, establishing a promotional record of 11-10 with one no-contest. The Brazilian fighter was in numerous thrilling fights, but the UFC decided to part ways with him after four consecutive losses.
Oliveira’s first fight outside the UFC was a second-round submission loss against Michel Silva in June 2022. He bounced back over the next six months, winning back-to-back fights inside the distance. On April 1, ‘Cowboy’ had his momentum halted with a first-round knockout loss against Kiefer Crosbie.
It’s unclear what’s next for the 35-year-old. Oliveira continues to put on entertaining fights, but the UFC has shown hesitancy toward returning some older fighters. Only time will tell if ‘Cowboy’ gets another chance in the Octagon.
Watch Alex Oliveira’s first-round finish at Titan FC 82 below:
Holy shit. Cowboy Oliveira just knocked his opponent out cold with a Judo throw at Titan pic.twitter.com/ozhYv5frcj
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 2, 2023
Former UFC fighter Will Brooks followed Alex Oliveira with a win of his own
Alex Oliveira wasn’t the only former UFC fighter to secure a win at Titan FC 82. In the main event, Will Brooks stepped up on short notice to fight Predrag Bogdanovic for the welterweight championship. After dominating most of the fight, Brooks secured a fifth-round TKO, handing Bogdanovic his first professional MMA loss.
Brooks lost all three UFC fights before parting ways with the promotion. Since then, the former Bellator champion went 2-0-1 in PFL and suffered a first-round submission loss against Gleison Tibau. He bounced back from losing against Tibau by winning six consecutive fights, including three inside the distance. The 36-year-old hopes to receive another opportunity in a top-tier promotion.
Ill Will Brooks is now the Titan and SBC Welterweight champ after dominating previously undefeated Predrag Bogdanovic on his way to a 5th round TKO.
And he took this fight on 2 weeks notice. That's Brooks' 6th straight W. #TitanFC82 pic.twitter.com/E33s90WfQs
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 2, 2023
