The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a new heavyweight with some good grappling chops. Two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club division champ Jon Olav Einemo (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed with the promotion, according to a release Monday from his fight team, Golden Glory. There's no word yet on when the Norwegian will make his octagon debut. It's been a while since Einemo stepped into the spotlight. He has not competed professionally since November 2006, when he submitted James Thompson by armbar at "Too Hot To Handle: Pride and Honor." That win put him back on the right track after his first career setback when Fabricio Werdum beat him on points at PRIDE 31. Then Einemo took a long break. It was the second major layoff of his career after a serious infection in his leg took him out of competition from 2003 to 2006, according to a report today on Sherdog.com. In the grappling world, Einemo holds the distinction of being the first man to defeat ADCC absolute champion Roger Gracie. All but one of Einemo's professional wins come by way of first-round submission.
I think this signing is a direct result of the Strikeforce Tourny. UFC needs more heavies and they are going to get them. This guy could be a force. I would love to see him vs. Roy Nelson.
Being a golden Glory fighter, I would think he does a lot of striking training. Is this guy more than just a grappler? He's also fairly old at 35 for a prospect.
Holy shit. How is Shane Carwin for a UFC debut opponent for Einemo? The letter from the UFC was probably like this:
