UFC contenders Andrei Arlovski and John Dodson are riding high after their wins at May 23’s UFC 187 event in Las Vegas.
The Team Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA standouts apparently wasted no time getting back to the gym, but instead of polishing up their MMA skills, they engaged in a little lighthearted pro-wrestling-style combat.
The results, which were posted to MMA House’s YouTube channel and /r/MMA, are pretty hilarious.
Arlovski—a UFC heavyweight who has won five straight, emerging as a legitimate title contender in the process—stands 6’4″ and weighs somewhere around 240 pounds. He’s massive.
Dodson—a UFC flyweight who has won three straight, also emerging as a title contender in his division—stands 5’3″ and walks around somewhere around 150 pounds. He is small.
The size juxtaposition alone makes this a fun watch, but I particularly enjoyed Dodson’s reaction to a flying Arlovski headed his direction. Catch that around 0:38 into the video.
Otherwise, this looks like some good fun between teammates, but the lingering issue with it is, of course, the risk of injury.
MMA fighters suffer injuries frequently enough as it is, so one can question how intelligent it is for two surging fighters on the cusp of title fights to engage in some high-flying WWE-style activity. Dodson, in particular, only recently recovered from ACL surgery, which put him out of action for almost a year.
Despite defeating his opponent, Zach Makovsky, at UFC 187 via decision, Dodson did look a little rusty, and it’s unclear whether he was still suffering from some lingering effects of that injury inside the Octagon.
The point is fair, but I personally think we should take this for what it is: two teammates and friends having a little fun and relaxing after months of hard work paid off for them inside the cage.
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