Tag: Andrei Arlovski

UFC 174: Fighters in Desperate Need of a Victory

Sometimes, spectacular things happen when there’s a level of desperation involved. Fans can only hope that’s the case this Saturday at UFC 174.The main event will feature a title defense by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson again…

Sometimes, spectacular things happen when there’s a level of desperation involved. Fans can only hope that’s the case this Saturday at UFC 174.

The main event will feature a title defense by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson against Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov. Johnson should use his speed and quickness to overcome the Russian challenger by decision, but as we all know, anything can happen in the Octagon. 

Win or lose, both Johnson and Bagautinov still have decent futures ahead of them in the UFC.

The same can’t be said as assuredly for the next three men.

 

“Supernatural” Tae Hyun Bang

Beginning a UFC career 0-2 is the last thing a fighter wants to do. Supernatural would be staring at that unfortunate reality were he to lose to “Ragin” Kajan Johnson during the FX preliminaries on Saturday.

Supernatural came to the UFC having faced a good number of recognizable and respected fighters like Jorge Masvidal and Takanori Gomi while fighting in Sengoku and other promotions. But he wasn’t able to grab the victory in those bouts.

He’s 2-4 in his last six fights and has had layoffs of 32 and 21 months in that span of time. 

With that recent track record, a loss on Saturday could leave him dangling on the UFC cut line.

 

Mike “The Hulk” Easton

At one time, Easton looked like he was destined to rise through the bantamweight ranks and earn a title shot. That hasn’t happened, and heading into his scrap with Yves Jabouin on Saturday, Easton has lost three fights in a row.

In his defense, the losses have come against real studs.

Newly crowned champion TJ Dillashaw won a unanimous decision over The Hulk in January to set up his title shot against Renan Barao.

Easton also lost to Brad “One Punch” Pickett and Raphael Assuncao, who beat Dillashaw and hasn’t lost in over three years.

Still, losing is not good.

Easton needs to handle Jabouin if he wants to have a prayer of re-establishing momentum. He appears to be in good shape, per this tweet prior to weigh-in.

Easton probably isn’t flirting with the cut line, but he could fall so far out of contention that he may as well be.

 

Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski

As big names go amongst active fighters, there aren’t many who carry the weight that Arlovski does. He has competed against and beaten legends of the sport dating back to the early days of the UFC.

After a six-year hiatus, Arlovski is back with the big promotion with the little name and taking on Brendan “Big Brown” Schaub.

Because of the anticipation created with his return, there’s a lot of pressure on Arlovski to perform well. While he may not be immediately released if he loses, the shine of his return will wear off really quick if Schaub dominates him.

Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports believes Arlovski fits the current heavyweight division, win or lose.

We probably won’t see a new Arlovski on Saturday. He’s likely to be the same impressive boxer with knockout power and good defensive wrestling. Schaub is obviously a tough foe. But no matter what happens in that bout, Arlovski probably has a place in the UFC’s relatively thin heavyweight division. He’s determined to prove that all over again.

That’s probably true, but performing well on Saturday will decide whether or not he’s a joke to fans moving forward.

 

Follow me. I dig combat sports.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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#ThrowbackThursday: Andrei Arlovski Does the Unthinkable, KO’s “Big Country” at EliteXC: Heat


(Photo via Sherdog.)

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their greatest defining moments. This week, we recollect Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson ahead of the former’s clash with Brendan Schaub this Saturday. 

UFC 174: Dagestani Revolution marks the glorious (and somewhat unexpected) promotional return of former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. I could literally not be more excited. Also nervous, but mostly excited.

I imagine that I’m not alone in this feeling, as Arlovski has become one of those fighters who it seems harder and harder to root against these days. He’s seen some decent highs and the lowest of lows in the six years since we last saw him stomp out Jake O’Brien at UFC 82. I bet you thought I was going to link to the Fedor knockout in the “lowest of lows”, didn’t you? The Brett Rogers one, maybe? My hyperlink-based wit will not be contained.

But oh yes, Arlovski. Scheduled to face Brendan Schaub in a featured bout this weekend, Arlovksi is once again having to defend the absurd notion that he lacks a chin, because if Court McGee’s heroin overdose has taught us anything, it’s that most MMA journalists are unoriginal hacks content to repeat the same tired cliches and dusty anecdotes ad nauseum until they are eroded of all meaning. Stand and bang, you guys. Stand and bang.

Regardless, if Arlvoski fighting Anthony Johnson for two rounds with a broken jaw didn’t convince you that he does in fact have a chin at the end of his face, then perhaps we should go back a bit further…to the night when Arlovski traded hands with Roy Nelson and came out the conscious one, blowing everyone’s minds through the back of their goddamn cornholes in the process.

Cue the dream sequence harp!


(Photo via Sherdog.)

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their greatest defining moments. This week, we recollect Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson ahead of the former’s clash with Brendan Schaub this Saturday. 

UFC 174: Dagestani Revolution marks the glorious (and somewhat unexpected) promotional return of former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. I could literally not be more excited. Also nervous, but mostly excited.

I imagine that I’m not alone in this feeling, as Arlovski has become one of those fighters who it seems harder and harder to root against these days. He’s seen some decent highs and the lowest of lows in the six years since we last saw him stomp out Jake O’Brien at UFC 82. I bet you thought I was going to link to the Fedor knockout in the “lowest of lows”, didn’t you? The Brett Rogers one, maybe? My hyperlink-based wit will not be contained.

But oh yes, Arlovski. Scheduled to face Brendan Schaub in a featured bout this weekend, Arlovksi is once again having to defend the absurd notion that he lacks a chin, because if Court McGee’s heroin overdose has taught us anything, it’s that most MMA journalists are unoriginal hacks content to repeat the same tired cliches and dusty anecdotes ad nauseum until they are eroded of all meaning. Stand and bang, you guys. Stand and bang.

Regardless, if Arlvoski fighting Anthony Johnson for two rounds with a broken jaw didn’t convince you that he does in fact have a chin at the end of his face, then perhaps we should go back a bit further…to the night when Arlovski traded hands with Roy Nelson and came out the conscious one, blowing everyone’s minds through the back of their goddamn cornholes in the process.

Cue the dream sequence harp!

It was October 4th, 2008, a night that will forever live in MMA infamy as “That Time Seth Petruzelli Killed EliteXC.” Gina Carano had defeated Kelly Kobold via unanimous decision earlier in the evening, and in just his second match following an 8-year UFC run, Arlovski was paired against former/final IFL heavyweight champion and future subject of the Norwegian documentary Trollhunter, Roy Nelson.

Fresh off a first round knockout of TUF 2 finalist Brad Imes in his second IFL title defense, Nelson was riding a big wave of confidence into his bout with the former champion, and it showed early. For the first half of the round, Nelson thoroughly controlled Arlovski on the ground, passing his guard multiple times and cycling between armlocks while on top. This of course came to a screeching halt when referee Iam DumAss stood the two up at the midway point of the round with Nelson in side control. Classic DumAss.

Arlovski’s speed advantage in the standup department was evident, however, as “the Pit Bull” (not to be confused with this “Pitbull” or that “Pitbull”. Or that one.) was able to take advantage of the controversial stand up and unleash a brief flurry that like won him the round according to the Diego Sanchez Principle of Come At Me Bro.

Since we’re taking a little stroll down memory lane, does anyone remember when Tito Ortiz used to have hair like this? Because EliteXC remembers…


Looks like someone finally got around to renting The Jackal and loooovvedd itttt!!

The second round would see Nelson rock Arlovski early with a left hook, then shoot for a takedown that resulted in a minute of stalling against the fence. I’ll never understand why some fighters opt for this strategy when they’ve got their opponent on wobbly legs, but hey, that’s why I smash keys, not knees for a living (Obama3pointer.gif). In any case, Arlovski would eventually wiggle free and unleash an absolute clinic of knees, uppercuts, and hooks that even Nelson’s mighty beard could not withstand. In a blink, Arlovski accomplished a feat that no man could do before or has done since.

To be fair, Arlovski’s beatdown of Nelson at EliteXC: Heat came just prior to the rash of KO losses that nearly ended with him dining on a bullet, and Nelson had not yet truly earned his granite chin status via legendary beatdowns at the hands of Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, and Stipe Miocic. But looking back, who in their right minds would have thought that Arlovski would become the only man to ever stop Nelson inside the distance? Put your goddamn hands down, liars.

Currently a slight underdog against Schaub — who has something of a notorious chin in his own right (where is the roof on this hyperlink gag!) — Arlovski has nothing left to prove and has stated as much. But if he can stay away from the right hand of Schaub long enough to land some leather of his own, there’s a good chance that the former champion will finish things in the same fashion he did against Nelson on the humid Florida night so many, many years ago… (*sips brandy and stares out window*)

–J. Jones

UFC 174: Is Andrei Arlovski One-and-Done If He Loses?

Nine years ago, Andrei Arlovski became the interim UFC heavyweight champion by defeating Tim Sylvia in just 47 seconds. In his next fight, he defended the interim title by knocking out Justin Eilers in just over four minutes.
Then he was promoted to un…

Nine years ago, Andrei Arlovski became the interim UFC heavyweight champion by defeating Tim Sylvia in just 47 seconds. In his next fight, he defended the interim title by knocking out Justin Eilers in just over four minutes.

Then he was promoted to undisputed champion when Frank Mir was unable to defend the title. Arlovski won his first undisputed title defense with a knockout in just 15 seconds.

Arlovski would only have five more fights in the UFC. He lost his title to Sylvia, lost a rematch to Sylvia and then won three fights. The third of those was the final fight on his UFC contract, and following that, he left the UFC.

During his time outside the UFC, Arlovski went 8-5 (1 NC), including the only recorded knockout of Roy Nelson in history. He fought for Strikeforce, Affliction, EliteXC, WSOF, ProElite and ONE Fighting Championship. He went everywhere.

During that time outside the UFC, Arlovski faced and knocked out Ben Rothwell then he faced and knocked out Roy Nelson. Then he hit a wall and dropped four straight.

The first two came against Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, both by knockout. It was around this time that people were beginning to question Arlovski’s chin and his future in the sport. The knockouts from both of them took less than four minutes combined.

He followed that up with a unanimous decision loss (29-28 all scorecards) to Antonio Silva, and another knockout loss, this one to Sergei Kharitonov in around three minutes.

It was after that loss that Arlovski started to put it all back together. He beat Ray Lopez and Travis Fulton with knockouts in the third round.

Following that, he took down Devin Cole and Mike Hayes before losing a unanimous decision to Anthony Johnson. Then in his last two fights before getting the call from the UFC, he beat Mike Kyle and knocked out Andreas Kraniotakes.

Now he’s ready to come back to the UFC, and he’ll be facing Brendan Schaub on Saturday. Schaub is the favorite, and should he beat Arlovski, will Arlovski get a second shot?

His opponent, Schaub, is ranked No. 14 in the division and has won two straight fights. He is a solid competitor in the heavyweight division and has taken down some legends in the sport, even if his chin is suspect as of late.

Schaub suffered two straight knockout losses from 2011 into 2012, losing to Minotauro Nogueira in just three minutes in August of 2011, then losing to Ben Rothwell in just over one minute in April 2012.

Since then, Schaub has won two straight, with a unanimous decision over Lavar Johnson and a technical submission over Matt Mitrione in the first round.

Arlovski has won his last two fights and four of his last five. He is one of only five heavyweight champions to defend the UFC title at least twice. He has fought solid competition outside of the Octagon. He was signed specifically for this fight and is not a late-injury replacement.

He will undoubtedly get a second fight in the UFC.

Arlovski has earned his place back in the UFC. The only way that he wouldn’t get a second fight is if he gets knocked out in under 30 seconds—and misses weight.

Even if he does lose to Schaub, he will get a second shot, probably on an undercard against a low-level heavyweight.

Or maybe the UFC will want to give Roy Nelson a chance to knock out the only person who knocked him out. That’d be a fun fight, and a great test to see where Arlovski’s chin is at.

The division has only 37 fighters and needs some new contenders in the mix. Arlovski could provide a new contender in today’s heavyweight division.

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The Unsupportable Opinion: Screw It, Bring Tim Sylvia Back to the UFC


(Image courtesy of Sherdog.)

By Seth Falvo

Yeah, I know we’ve written otherwise around these parts. I understand that he hasn’t won a fight since defeating a thirty-eight year old journeyman sporting a 13-11 record back in 2012, that he probably can’t make 265 pounds without amputating something, and that he’s been a subject of scorn during pretty much every CagePotato Roundtable we’ve published. I secretly realize that there isn’t a single thing that Tim Sylvia has done within the past two years to justify bringing him back to the world’s premier MMA organization.

But there’s something remarkably hypocritical about acknowledging that the UFC is a sports entertainment company, then crying foul when one of the biggest stars of the mid-to-late 2000s is offered that final fight in the UFC he’s been so desperately seeking, so let’s not do that.

Instead of focusing so heavily on the sports, let’s actually focus on the entertainment that Tim Sylvia has provided us over the years. Personally, I was still in high school during the Tim Sylvia Era. A friend had exposed me to his collection of UFC events, and I immediately became hooked. I won’t claim that I was the biggest fan of the then-heavyweight champion — even with my limited knowledge of MMA, I realized Sylvia was an unrefined fighter — but there was something inspiring about watching him compete. “The Maine-iac” managed to achieve the highest honor in his sport, despite being the last person on the planet who most people would look at and think “professional athlete.” And of course, his rivalry with Andrei Arlovski helped make things interesting, even when his fights occasionally weren’t.


(Image courtesy of Sherdog.)

By Seth Falvo

Yeah, I know we’ve written otherwise around these parts. I understand that he hasn’t won a fight since defeating a thirty-eight year old journeyman sporting a 13-11 record back in 2012, that he probably can’t make 265 pounds without amputating something, and that he’s been a subject of scorn during pretty much every CagePotato Roundtable we’ve published. I secretly realize that there isn’t a single thing that Tim Sylvia has done within the past two years to justify bringing him back to the world’s premier MMA organization.

But there’s something remarkably hypocritical about acknowledging that the UFC is a sports entertainment company, then crying foul when one of the biggest stars of the mid-to-late 2000s is offered that final fight in the UFC he’s been so desperately seeking, so let’s not do that.

Instead of focusing so heavily on the sports, let’s actually focus on the entertainment that Tim Sylvia has provided us over the years. Personally, I was still in high school during the Tim Sylvia Era. A friend had exposed me to his collection of UFC events, and I immediately became hooked. I won’t claim that I was the biggest fan of the then-heavyweight champion — even with my limited knowledge of MMA, I realized Sylvia was an unrefined fighter — but there was something inspiring about watching him compete. “The Maine-iac” managed to achieve the highest honor in his sport, despite being the last person on the planet who most people would look at and think “professional athlete.” And of course, his rivalry with Andrei Arlovski helped make things interesting, even when his fights occasionally weren’t.

I’m willing to bet that most of our readers in their mid-to-late twenties have identical stories. And though the times have changed — I’d never believe you if you told me I’d one day be covering this crazy sport — and MMA has evolved considerably, there’s still a part of me that would totally mark out over the sight of Tim Sylvia inside the Octagon one last time. The fact that he’d be getting re-signed merely one week after his old nemesis Andrei Arlovski found his way back into the UFC would only make things better.

To those of you who are rolling your eyes at the suggestion of trotting out Tim Sylvia to feed our love of nostalgia, I have to question whether that’s any more offensive than what we’re currently being asked to pay for on Fight Pass. Is a preliminary scrap featuring a fighter you actually recognize — and probably still care about — any less legitimate than, say, a top-ten heavyweight squaring off against a doughy light-heavyweight known for his Homer Simpson-esque ability to take punches and not much else? If you answered yes, perhaps the nicest thing that can be written about you is that you’re very, very gullible.

Tim Sylvia was never the ideal heavyweight fighter, but then again, the UFC was never strictly about fighting. The UFC — for better and for worse — is about sports entertainment. And Tim Sylvia — for better and for worse — has always entertained us.

Brendan Schaub Excited to Welcome Andrei Arlovski Back to the Octagon at UFC 174

Brendan Schaub has been asking for a big fight, and it looks like he finally got one.
The surging heavyweight will welcome former champion Andrei Arlovski back to the Octagon when the two men square off at UFC 174 on June 24 in Vancouver, British Colum…

Brendan Schaub has been asking for a big fight, and it looks like he finally got one.

The surging heavyweight will welcome former champion Andrei Arlovski back to the Octagon when the two men square off at UFC 174 on June 24 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The bout was announced this week by UFC President Dana White via Twitter and will mark the first time in six years “The Pitbull” will compete under the UFC banner.

The former NFL player turned mixed martial artist has been on a roll as of late and has been actively pursuing an opponent with a big name for his next challenge. Yet, despite his efforts to land a bout with knockout artist Mark Hunt, a fight with the “Super Samoan” never materialized, and Schaub was left to play the waiting game. Now, with the fight against Arlovski made official, “The Hybrid” will be looking to further the momentum he built with impressive performances in his two most recent showings.

The Los Angeles transplant has defeated Lavar Johnson and Matt Mitrione respectively and shown the continued progress of his grappling skills in the process. He will be looking to continue his climb when he steps in against Arlovski—a fighter who has proven to be as versatile as they come in the heavyweight ranks.

The Colorado native recently spoke to MMA media staple Rick Lee at the Reign Training Facility and Schaub talked about what landing a bout with a storied veteran like Arlovski means to him. 

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Andrei Arlovski Re-Signs With UFC, June Bout Against Brendan Schaub Reportedly in the Works [UPDATED]


(To answer your questions, you can buy it here, and it also comes in shark. / Photo via Andrei’s Instagram)

After a six-year absence from the promotion, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will be returning to the Octagon this year. UFC president Dana White confirmed Arlovski’s signing on Twitter yesterday, and MMAJunkie reports that a bout between Arlovski and Brendan Schaub is being targeted for UFC 174 (June 14th; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). UPDATE: Arlovski vs. Schaub is official, and Schaub is pretty psyched about it.

Though Arlovski endured a rough patch in 2009-2011 where he lost four consecutive fights — marked by knockout losses to Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, and Sergei Kharitonov — the “Pitbull” actually ended his first UFC stint on a three-fight win streak, including a decision victory against current heavyweight title contender Fabricio Werdum and TKO’s of Marcio Cruz and Jake O’Brien. His departure was contract-related (and immediately profitable), and since then, Dana White has always been highly complimentary of Arlovski as a fighter and as a person, even while criticizing his career choices.


(To answer your questions, you can buy it here, and it also comes in shark. / Photo via Andrei’s Instagram)

After a six-year absence from the promotion, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will be returning to the Octagon this year. UFC president Dana White confirmed Arlovski’s signing on Twitter yesterday, and MMAJunkie reports that a bout between Arlovski and Brendan Schaub is being targeted for UFC 174 (June 14th; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). UPDATE: Arlovski vs. Schaub is official, and Schaub is pretty psyched about it.

Though Arlovski endured a rough patch in 2009-2011 where he lost four consecutive fights — marked by knockout losses to Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, and Sergei Kharitonov — the “Pitbull” actually ended his first UFC stint on a three-fight win streak, including a decision victory against current heavyweight title contender Fabricio Werdum and TKO’s of Marcio Cruz and Jake O’Brien. His departure was contract-related (and immediately profitable), and since then, Dana White has always been highly complimentary of Arlovski as a fighter and as a person, even while criticizing his career choices.

Arlovski has gone 6-1 since leaving Strikeforce in 2011, including wins over Mike Kyle and Travis Fulton, an ugly decision loss to Anthony Johnson, and a highly satisfying no-contest against Tim Sylvia. Arlovski’s contract with the World Series of Fighting had recently expired, and although the WSOF had the option to extend it because he had pulled out of his last fight due to injury, the promotion agreed to release him when he was offered a UFC contract.

“Arlovski brought attention to us when we needed it,” said World Series of Fighting executive vice president Abdel-Aziz. “At this point, I wish him the best of luck back in the UFC.”