Michał Oleksiejczuk

Michał Oleksiejczuk (born February 22, 1995) is a Polish mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2014, he was the former Thunderstrike Fight League Light heavyweight champion in Poland. He currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background
Michal played handball before finding martial arts. Oleksiejczuk has a younger brother, Cezary, who is also a professional mixed martial artist.

Early career
Oleksiejczuk started his MMA career in 2014. Fighting primarily in Poland, he amassed a record of 12–2 prior to being signed by UFC in 2017.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Oleksiejczuk was expected to have made his UFC debut to face Ion Cuțelaba on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217, replacing injured Gadzhimurad Antigulov. In turn after the weigh-ins, Cuțelaba was pulled from the event by USADA due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from its investigation into voluntary disclosures by Cuțelaba during an out-of-competition sample collections on October 18 and October 19. Cuțelaba was provisionally suspended and the bout was scrapped.

Oleksiejczuk's UFC debut was finally set on December 30, 2017, facing Khalil Rountree Jr. and replacing injured Gökhan Saki, at UFC 219. However, after the fight, it was revealed that Oleksiejczuk had tested positive for clomiphene, an anti-estrogenic substance. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) officially overturned the result of the fight to a no contest and Oleksiejczuk received one year suspension by USADA.

Oleksiejczuk returned to octagon one year later to face Gian Villante on February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos. He won the fight via TKO due to a body punch early in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Oleksiejczuk faced Gadzhimurad Antigulov on April 20, 2019, replacing Roman Dolidze, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik. Oleksiejczuk won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Oleksiejczuk faced Ovince Saint Preux on September 28, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 18. He lost the fight via submission due to a Von Flue choke in the second round.

Oleksiejczuk faced Jimmy Crute on February 23, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 168. He lost the fight via a kimura submission in the first round.

Oleksiejczuk faced Modestas Bukauskas on March 27, 2021, at UFC 260. He won a close bout via split decision.

Oleksiejczuk faced Shamil Gamzatov on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267. He won the bout via TKO in the first round.

Oleksiejczuk faced Dustin Jacoby on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Drop down to middleweight
Oleksiejczuk faced Sam Alvey on August 6, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 40. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Oleksiejczuk was scheduled to face Albert Duraev, replacing injured Bruno Silva, on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 216. In turn, Duraev was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Cody Brundage. Oleksiejczuk won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Oleksiejczuk faced Caio Borralho on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in round two.

Oleksiejczuk faced Chidi Njokuani at UFC Fight Night 225 on August 26, 2023. He won by first-round ground and pound technical knockout, which earned him a Performance of the Night  award.

Oleksiejczuk faced Michel Pereira on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299. He lost the bout in the first round by rear-naked choke submission.

Oleksiejczuk faced Kevin Holland on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302. After knocking Holland down, Oleksiejczuk lost by an armbar submission in the first round.

Oleksiejczuk is scheduled to face Sharabutdin Magomedov on August 3, 2024 at UFC on ABC 7.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Gian Villante, Cody Brundage and Chidi Njokuani
 * Thunderstrike Fight League
 * Thunderstrike Fight League Light heavyweight Champion (One time)
 * Two Successful Title Defenses