The former heavyweight champion once again gets matched up versus a prospect.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will once again play the role of gatekeeper versus a prospect.
The promotion announced on Tuesday that the 41-year-old “Pitbull” is scheduled to face Englishman Tom Aspinall on a UFC Fight Night card on February 20th. No location or venue has been revealed.
Arlovski (30-19, 2 NCs) has prevailed in his last two fights over Philipe Lins and Tanner Boser. His six wins dating back to September 2015 have all come via decision, with his most recent finish occurring in May 2015 in his wild one-round brawl with Travis Browne at UFC 187. While he does have a history of knockout losses, only Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Francis Ngannou have been able to put him away since 2017.
Aspinall (9-2) came over to the UFC in 2020 and has made short work of both of his opponents inside the Octagon. After a 45-second thrashing of Jake Collier in July, the 27-year-old put away Alan Baudot in October. Clearly the UFC is quite high on Aspinall’s future, as even a past his prime Arlovski is a major step up in competition for him.
The UFC’s February 20th show is scheduled to be headlined by a marquee heavyweight bout between former title challenger Derrick Lewis and top contender Curtis Blaydes.