Jared Vanderaa can not afford another backward step.
“The Mountain” will look to strengthen his position on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster when he confronts Alexey Oleynik in a three-round UFC 273 heavyweight prelim on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Vanderaa enters the cage on the heels of back-to-back losses, perhaps one hiccup away from venturing into pink-slip territory. He last appeared at UFC 271, where he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against former champion Andrei Arlovski on Feb.