On February 12, 201l, Andrei Arlovski was knocked out by Sergei Kharitonov in the first round of a Strike Force bout, his fourth consecutive loss and it prompted many to call for his retirement. A former UFC Heavyweight champion, Arlovski was on a multiple fight win streak before he left the promotion after he contract expired in 2008 and won a contest against Roy Nelson under the Elite XC banner before the above mentioned four fight skid.
Quite frankly, his career was considered over and the competitor known as "The Pit Bull" looked to be a shell of himself, which many assumed would lead to him concluding his career on the smaller fight circuit as many from his era have done in recent years. Six months after the disappointing defeat in the Strike Force cage, Arlovski reemerged at the smaller Pro Elite show and dominated his opponent to get the victory. During his time away from competition, "The Pit Bull" began training with the Jackson fight team in New Mexico and the time spent sharpening his skills with some of the Jackson standouts, including Jon Jones, rejuvenated his career.
Over the next two years, Arlovski won six of eight fights in a variety of promotions with only one blemish, a loss to Anthony Johnson in the World Series of Fighting organization. Prior to that, he fought Tim Sylvia to a non contest, and both bouts that he didn't win were surrounded in controversy so he was in top form when he returned to the UFC in 2014.
Truthfully, when Arlovski resurfaced in the UFC, I didn't think he would do much because I watched the KOs mentioned above and thought his career was finished. Granted, he put together a winning streak to open the door for a returned to the Zuffa organization, but I take most of the wins a competitor gets in the smaller fight leagues with a grain of salt once they take the step up in competition for some of the more well known promotions (UFC, Bellator, etc.) because the major league competition is different from the smaller venues.
Six years after he defeated Jake O'Brien via TKO, Andrei Arlovski returned to the octagon to fight Brendan Schaub, not exactly top competition, but he won a split decision on the judges' cards. Just three months later, Arlovski was a major underdog in a bout with "Big Foot" Silva, but he KO'ed the Brazilian in less than three minutes. Earlier this year, he stepped into the cage with dangerous heavyweight, Travis Browne, who had only two losses on his impressive MMA record. Again, most assumed Arlovski would be defeated by the younger opponent that is seemingly in the prime of his career, but after a wild exchange, Arlovski landed a series of punches and the referee rescued Browe from further damage with a stoppage. Just a few months ago, he won an unanimous decision in a lackluster fight against Frank Mir, but it added to his current six fight winning streak, which include four wins since he returned to the UFC.
This Saturday, Stipe Mioic will provide the opposition and once again, on paper, Arlovski is considered the under dog, but should "The Pit Bull"be doubted? The Croatian brings a solid 13-2 record into the cage and precise striking ability, drawing comparisons to legendary, Mirko Crocop. If Arlowski tries to throw wild flurries, similar to what he did in the Browne contest, Mioic will land a counter and finish the fight. However, if Arloski fights smart and can dictate the pace, you have to at least give him a chance to win.
That said, if he can win five fights in a row in the UFC,you would think he would be in line for a shot for the Heavyweight title, a belt he last held almost a decade ago. Who would've thought that Anderi Arlovski would be in the UFC title conversation heading into 2016? Regardless of the result of the Mioic bout, Arlovski deserves a lot of credit for completely rejuvenating his career in what must be considered one of the most unexpected comebacks in mixed martial arts history.
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