Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett were in identical positions entering Fight Night 93.
Both are former UFC heavyweight champions. Both had late-in-career resurgences after rejoining the UFC. Both are pushing 40 years old.
Above all else, however, both desperately needed a win at Fight Night 93.
The fight started hot, with both men getting rocked by punches in the opening seconds. Barnett would eventually slow things down with the clinch but wasn’t able to convert it to a takedown. He continued to keep Arlovski close but clearly didn’t want to absorb anymore punishment from Arlovski and looked to turn the fight into a marathon.
That strategy became clearer in the second, as Barnett went from scrapping to consistently working the clinch. Arlovski found opportunities to land strikes and wasn’t overwhelmed by Barnett’s crafty striking game, but Barnett enjoyed the center of the cage more often than not. Arlovski would eventually go for an inside trip, but Barnett managed to reverse it and advanced to top-mount position where he poured on strikes, only stopping once the horn sounded.
Arlovski was woozy from the punishment he absorbed in Round 2, but Barnett was tired from the high-octane pace of the first 10 minutes. That was the signal for Arlovski to go for the kill, but he couldn’t resist Barnett’s savvy grappling as the catch wrestler turned a standing kimura into a takedown. Barnett again advanced to mount and looked to finish. He managed to do so when he caught Arlovski with a rear-naked choke during a scramble.
It’s a tough blow for the Bulgarian. Arlovski seemed poised to retire in 2011 after four ugly losses. A short run in the indie circuit was followed by a main event stint in WSOF. That led him back to the UFC.
To say he capitalized on the opportunity would be an incredible understatement. The Bulgarian broke off four consecutive wins, including an impressive knockout of Travis Browne, and found himself just a fight away from competing for the heavyweight title, 10 years removed from his first run. Future champion Stipe Miocic unfortunately nixed that effort, and Arlovski has found himself in a tailspin ever since.
Now coming off three stoppage losses in a row, he could easily retire or be cut from the UFC entirely.
For Barnett, this win doesn’t redefine his legacy or rocket him up the rankings, but it does keep him relevant near the top of the division. Barnett returned to the UFC in 2013 as a top-10 name after a lengthy run in Japan and the Zuffa buyout of Strikeforce, but he has alternated big wins with tough losses ever since.
Coming off a submission loss to Ben Rothwell, another loss could have been problematic for him. Instead, this win lines him up for another main event against another solid opponent.
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