The Pit Bull is back in the UFC, and this time, he’s looking to stay for the long haul.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was released from World Series of Fighting earlier this year to sign back with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the organization he was one of the faces of from 2000 to 2008. After racking up a 10-4 record with the UFC during that time, the promotion let him go due to a contract dispute, and for the past five-plus years he’s fought for promotions such as Elite XC, Affliction, Strikeforce, ProElite, One FC, and WSOF, where he’s gone 8-5 with 1 NC to earn another crack at the Octagon.
Although Andrei Arlovski was still one of the highest-paid fighters in the game, between 2009 and 2011 he went on a nasty four-fight losing skid, with three of those losses coming by way of knockout, and at that point it seemed like he would never make it back to the big show. But credit to the man, as the 35-year-old who appeared to be at the end of the rope instead persevered after that losing streak to go 6-1 with 1 NC and get a call from the UFC to return to the big time, where he will take on Brendan Schaub tonight at UFC 174.
Although everyone in the MMA world thought Arlovski’s chin was completely broken after being knocked out by Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, and Sergei Kharitonov, he’s shown that he still has some fight left in him, as he’s taken on heavy hitters like Mike Kyle, Anthony Johnson, and Tim Sylvia since then, and none of them could knock him out. Although at the time it made sense to question his chin, he’s proven with his recent performances that it’s not as bad as everyone thinks, and he can still take a shot to it and win bouts, such as in the Kyle fight, where he was dropped a few times yet came back to claim the victory.
Having said all of this, I don’t believe Arlovski is going to mount a comeback for the UFC heavyweight title, and I don’t think he’ll break into the top five. But I do believe that he can take on fighters such as Schaub and be highly competitive with them, and I do think that when it’s all said and done, he’ll pick up a few victories in this second UFC run and prove all the doubters wrong who thought he was completely shot.
Then again, while I have been right before, I’ve also been wrong, and if Arlovski loses to Schaub by knockout and then loses to another heavyweight or two in his second UFC run it wouldn’t shock me at all. But I really think Arlovski knows this is absolutely his last chance at ever cashing in on a big paycheck in the MMA world, and I don’t think he’s going to waste the opportunity (as long as his chin plays nice). That’s why I expect him to be highly motivated for this fight against the top-15-ranked Schaub tonight at UFC 174, and that’s why I wouldn’t be shocked if he won the fight.
Arlovski has always been a favorite of the UFC’s hardcore fans and it’s a testament to his character that he was able to persevere after such a bad losing spell to not only win fights, but to make it back to the greatest show in the world of MMA. Now let’s see what he does with his second chance, and it all starts tonight in Vancouver at UFC 174.
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Brendan Schaub
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UFC 174: Johnson vs. Bagautinov is due to take place on June 14, 2014 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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