Though he’s still just 33 years old, Andrei Arlovski has heard the calls from critics to retire for years. He’s spent the recent past trying to show he’s still a relevant fighter on the world’s heavyweight stage, and in his highest-profile fight since his Strikeforce release, Arlovski delivered the quick finish he needed, earning a TKO win over Devin Cole at 2:37 of round one.
The finish came after the two reset following a clinch against the fence. Cole tried an inside leg kick and Arlovski came over the top with an overhand right that clipped Cole behind the ear.
That sent the big man to the mat, and Arlovski followed with a series of hammerfists until ref Steve Mazzagatti called a halt to the action.
The victory was the third in his last four fights. The other bout was a no contest against Tim Sylvia due to an illegal strike.
Arlovski’s win came in the main event of The World Series of Fighting’s debut event, which took place at PH Live in Las Vegas.
It was the former UFC champ’s 18th career win against nine losses and a no contest.
Cole, who was fighting for the first time in nearly a year, had a two-fight losing streak snapped, falling to 20-10-1.