Brendan Schaub and Andrei Arlovski met at UFC 164 in a pivotal bout for their careers. Each man sought a victory to make a run up the heavyweight rankings, and a loss would have been detrimental to their hopes.
The fight did not get off to a great start. The two heavy-handed strikers were hesitant on the feet. A good portion of the action was spent stalling in the clinch. Schaub was telegraphing his one combination, and Arlovski was not offering any more than one punch in return.
Schaub got a takedown in the third round and spent a lot of time throwing errant shots at Arlovski. It took awhile, but Arlovski was finally able to get back to his feet. Unfortunately, he was unable to do anything once there.
All three rounds were close, but they were only close because both men failed to do anything to warrant a clear-cut win.
Arlovski picked up a split-decision victory.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Nothing. It was terrible.
What We Learned About Schaub
Schaub wanted the knockout, but he wanted it with the same telegraphed combination. Other than that, he played it safe. Too safe. Following the fight, his jaw was very swollen.
If there is a plus, he didn’t get knocked out.
What We Learned About Arlovski
Perhaps it was nerves, but perhaps it was not. We learned Arlovski needs to rediscover his aggressiveness. He was very passive in this fight. When he had a good position in the clinch, he chose to rest instead of improve.
If there is a plus, he didn’t get knocked out.
What’s Next for Schaub
The decision could have gone either way, so a loss shouldn’t hurt him too badly. The UFC could put him against the winner of the Soa Palelei vs. Jared Rosholt contest later this month.
What’s Next for Arlovski
Well, as unimpressive as it was, he won. Looking down the pipe, he has limited options. He didn’t show anything in the cage that was worthy of a Top 10-level fight, and many heavyweights are booked or injured.
UFC 175 features the return of No. 12-ranked contender Stefan Struve against Matt Mitrione. Arlovski could fight the winner of that battle. It’s about the only fight that makes any sense, unless an injury occurs to an already scheduled fight.
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