2012 World MMA Heavyweight Scouting Report: #10 - David Oliva
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 11:05 PM EST
in World MMA Scouting Report
Email
Print|
|
|
| Name: |  David Oliva |
| Nickname: | The Mayan Assassin |
| Age: | 28 |
| Height: | 5'11" |
| Location: | Chicago, Illinois |
Here we are, fight fans, standing at the base of the mountain, ready to ascend to the peak to reveal MMA's best heavyweight mixed martial arts talent. I'll be frank. It's more of a hill than a mountain. But there is potential in many of the prospects we've picked to grace our report this year.
Illinois-native David Oliva (6-0) begins the countdown, claiming the #10 spot on this year's report. Undefeated in six professional bouts, Oliva has been on an extended layoff since defeating Chuck Hoskins at an event in Milwaukee in August of 2010. He was scheduled to face Justin Lemke at Bellator 29 in September of the same year, but experienced weight issues in the lead-up to the bout, forcing him to withdraw.
A little over a year later, in November, Oliva resurfaced to battle 2011 Scouting Report prospect Shamil Abdurahimov at Pro FC 37 in Russia. The bout never happened, continuing Oliva's dry spell into 2012.
Before his lengthy absence, Oliva was gaining attention as one of the few heavyweight prospects in the talent pool with the wrestling skills to smother legitimate opposition. He worked over 2011 Scouting Report prospect Konstantin Gluhov at KSW 13 in May, slamming him to the ground with incredible strength and controlling him for three rounds. He did the same to the majority of his opponents.
Oliva lacks the size and stand-up skills to be considered a well-balanced mixed martial artist. He does, however, know how to play to his strengths. A powerful wrestler with sufficient conditioning and an iron will, Oliva is capable of relentlessly powering through his adversaries. If he can resolve the weight problems and gain a submission game, there's no doubt Oliva will have some momentum heading into tougher fights. It doesn't take much to get interest from the UFC or Bellator if you're a heavyweight, and a little consistency and a few wins can go a long way in helping Oliva sign a major league contract this year.
Oliva is scheduled to fight Karol Bedorf on February 25 at KSW 18.
Footage of David Oliva after the jump...
| Flyweight | Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - |
#1 - Rony Mariano #2 - Aljamain Sterling #3 - Chris Holdsworth #4 - Josh Hill #5 - Fabiano Fernandes #6 - Claudio Ledesma #7 - Sirwan Kakai #8 - Kyoji Horiguchi #9 - Leandro Hygo #10 - Pedro Munhoz |
#1 - Hacran Dias #2 - Joey Gambino #3 - Brandon Bender #4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers #6 - Anthony Gutierrez #7 - Max Holloway #8 - John Teixeira #9 - Cody Bollinger #10 - Bubba Jenkins |
#1 - Fabricio Guerreiro #2 - Alessandro Ferreira #3 - Adriano Martins #4 - Justin Salas #5 - Neilson Gomes #6 - Eduard Folayang #7 - Zorobabel Moreira #8 - Anton Kuivanen #9 - Jordan Rinaldi #10 - J.P. Vainikainen |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 - Andrey Koreshkov #2 - Dhiego Lima #3 - Brandon Thatch #4 - Nordine Taleb #5 - Hernani Perpetuo #6 - Brock Jardine #7 - Alan Jouban #8 - Mohsen Bahari #9 - Andre Santos #10 - Stephen Thompson |
#1 - Antonio Braga Neto #2 - Marcelo Guimaraes #3 - Claudio Silva #4 - Bojan Velickovic #5 - Ildemar Alcantara #6 - Michal Materla #7 - Elvis Mutapcic #8 - Tor Troeng #9 - Jack Hermansson #10 - Tim Ruberg |
#1 - Wagner Prado #2 - Phelipe Lins #3 - Tom DeBlass #4 - Misha Cirkunov #5 - Kyle Cerminara #6 - Robert Drysdale #7 - Artur Alibulatov #8 - Thiago Perpetuo #9 - Steve Bosse #10 - Juha Saarinen |
#1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - David Oliva |
David Oliva vs. Konstantin Gluhov
Daniel Omielańczuk vs David Olivia
David Oliva vs. Lee Defoose
David Oliva vs. Matt Hirsch
David Oliva vs Unknown - 09/26/2009
David Oliva vs. Unknown - 06/20/2009
32 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
the round mound of ground and pound!
experienced weight issues in the lead-up to the bout, forcing him to withdraw
does this means he would not have made weight at Bellator?
To have a Cannae you must have a Varo
-George Patton
"The complete man must work, study and wrestle."
-Aristotle
Yes. I imagine that’s what it was. He definitely needs some discipline in terms of his weight. But he’s gotten down to 265 before.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 8:17 PM EST up reply actions
I was surprised by his skills
he was slamming guys as well as getting nice solid doubles, passing guard and working for subs. He has nice control and can survive on the feet. I’d like to see him in there with Bellator heavyweights to see if he can hang.
Where out of Chicago is he training?
To have a Cannae you must have a Varo
-George Patton
"The complete man must work, study and wrestle."
-Aristotle
Freestyle Academy.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
In the early fights below, he’s easily 300 lbs. So, he slimmed down a bit for KSW. I’m hoping the bouts he has coming up show a dedication to losing some of that.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 8:23 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder if Todd Duffee can make this list. I’ll just wait and see though.
Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.
by chrisbboy82 on Jan 22, 2012 11:42 PM EST up reply actions
Why would he?
He hasn’t even fought since 2010.
Yikes.
"Never say anything that doesn't improve on silence." -Richard Yates
Proud Member of "The Voices In Paul Harris' Head." The handsomest cyber-team on the inter webs.
Unless your name is Daniel Cormier or Fedor Emelianenko, being a fat 5’11 heavyweight probably isn’t going to get you anywhere.
"I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Not sure about that. In multiple fights, he picked up 240-250 lb. guys up over his head and slammed the fuck out of them.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 8:31 PM EST up reply actions
Okay, cool. To be fair I didn’t view his footage yet (don’t kill me!). I think it’s just I was watching two guys of similar build on the ProElite card from yesterday, and thought just that to myself then. Seems like there are a lot of shorter fatties in the lower levels, regional scene who just fight at heavyweight because they are too lazy to go on a diet. You probably know more about this than me though, and there are exceptions of course.
"I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
by Horselover Fat on Jan 22, 2012 8:37 PM EST up reply actions
Well, let’s be honest here… he’s #10 on the list. We were trying to include some other guys, but a lot of guys are aged or there isn’t any video available. But Oliva does have some wrestling ability, a lot of strength, and he’s a survivor. Always seems to have some gas left.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 8:39 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, and you did warn us about the general talent level. I wasn’t trying to take a jab at your list, if you say he belongs here then I respect that.
Unrelated, but do you have any comments about the UFC’s signings for the Sweden show? Magnus Cedenblad, Besam Yousef, Jörgen Kruth.. haha. Personally I would have liked to see Assan Njie and Sirwan Kakai on there instead, but no luck so far.
"I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
by Horselover Fat on Jan 22, 2012 8:47 PM EST up reply actions
Not a fan of most of their signings.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
big fan of kruth
As a kickboxer. But hes old and wont accomplish anything noteworthy in mma
"God loves violence... Why else would there be so much of it? It's in us. It's what we are. We wage war, we burn sacrifices, and pillage and plunder and tear at the flesh of our brothers. And why? Because God gave us violence to wage in his honor... There's no moral order at all. There's just this: can my violence conquer yours?"
- Warden of Ashecliffe Hospital
by ElliotMatheny on Jan 23, 2012 1:49 AM EST up reply actions
This is true. He is a fan favorite in Sweden, but even so I was surprised to see him get signed to the UFC. Pretty cool way to cap off his career though, would be epic if he could beat Diabate.
"I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
by Horselover Fat on Jan 23, 2012 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
Cyrille gives zero fucks about the ground game
so I think it’ll be a striking match. Kruth definitely has a shot here.
"God loves violence... Why else would there be so much of it? It's in us. It's what we are. We wage war, we burn sacrifices, and pillage and plunder and tear at the flesh of our brothers. And why? Because God gave us violence to wage in his honor... There's no moral order at all. There's just this: can my violence conquer yours?"
- Warden of Ashecliffe Hospital
by ElliotMatheny on Jan 25, 2012 9:10 PM EST up reply actions
Probably a stupid question but having more difficulty finding prospects deserving of the list especially in the thinner divisions like Hw and Mw? Almost seems as though this years prospects couldn’t live up to last years.
by tremblay6 on Jan 22, 2012 9:10 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Yes, it is very tough to find heavyweight talent. Even MW and WW were a bit thin. Not like HW tho.
Staff Writer, BloodyElbow.com
Follow @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jan 22, 2012 9:12 PM EST up reply actions
How does one have problems making 265?
Fuck you, double fingers
- Nick Diaz
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society
- Mark Twain
ahem...
they are husky
In real life everything I utter is original and poignant.
by Andy Anderson on Jan 22, 2012 9:40 PM EST up reply actions
I like him
Fighting is like champagne. It goes to the heads of cowards as quickly as of heroes. Any fool can be brave on a battlefield when it's be brave or else be killed.
Oliva is an excellent counter to the argument that the heavyweight division is thin.
by Verklemptomaniac on Jan 22, 2012 11:55 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
War Illinois.
Writer for Blistered Thumbs
Part of Team Luke Thomas' Beard (LTB)
You may like Diaz, but Brock actually won a title that mattered.
Follow @TheCynicsCorner
Jesus
Watch the fight with Defoose
He was tapping for hours
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
