Aleksei Oleinik has issued a statement on social media after his disastrous bare-knuckle boxing debut.
The former UFC heavyweight with 80 fights was knocked out cold by Gerônimo dos Santos at BKFC 71 in Dubai on Friday night.
Just 20 seconds were left of round one when Aleksei Oleinik was caught with a huge overhand right.
The 47-year-old fell to the floor and didn’t move as dos Santos celebrated his massive KO win.
Aleksei Oleinik reacts to his BKFC defeat
A few hours after his latest loss, Oleinik used the Instagram story feature to thank fans for their support.
“Hello, everyone. Well, the fight ended a couple of hours ago,” he said in Russian.
“I want to say thank you very much to everyone who gave me freedom, who supported me, really felt so directly excited by the energy that helped me very, very, very, very [much]. Thank you very much for this.
“I received a lot of warm messages, wishes, and everything else. For this, I’m very grateful to you.
“Well, let the ill-wishers rejoice. I think I should forget the holiday on their street. Well, today you have the opportunity to sell yourself until next time. Thank you all so much.
“In principle, as I said, 50/50, there was a chance for two huge men of 125kg.”
Why is Aleksei Oleinik still fighting?
Known for his elite submission game, Oleinik fought in the UFC heavyweight division 17 times before leaving the promotion with a winning record in 2022.
The Russian fan favorite is touching 50 years old, but retirement is not an option for him right now.
In an interview with Sport24, which has been translated to English, Oleinik told reporters that he didn’t want to fight before heading into his BKFC debut, but due to personal issues, he’s been left in a tough financial position that means he must continue his combat sports career.
“I tried to work somehow, earn money, etc, and I realized there was a weak prospect that I would earn something for myself,” he said in the heartbreaking video. “Well, in fact, nothing worked out for me, I can just live, that’s it, earn a piece of bread for yourself.
“If I want to get something in terms of my own corner or apartment, I need to return to my profession [fighting], and that’s what I really didn’t want. That’s basically the only way I can get paid for now, well, the biggest money only for this. Not master classes, not training, or anything else.
“What else can I do? I didn’t want to fight, I have no desire, and the state of my health is not quite what it was seven, 10, 15 years ago, and so on…
“I need that money for housing. I don’t have a place to live. I’m sorry, but if my leg breaks now and can’t be fixed anymore, I won’t be able to earn anything at all. And where will I live then? With the background that I have, the cars I had, the houses I had, whatever else I had that I achieved.
“Damn, I don’t know, will I live on the street, or at the train station? I want to live somewhere else, it doesn’t sound nice. I want to live in a small place, but one that’s mine. I had a house in Florida that was 500 square metres on the same road as Donald Trump!”
