Andrei Arlovski: A Retrospective

With his recent loss to Brett Rogers on the Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields fight card, it became evident that the career of Andrei Arlovski is winding down to an end.

You could see the anguish and disappointment in “The Pitbull’s” eyes as he sat on the stool in his corner, while being looked over by the doctor’s. Arovski’s eyes welled up and became red as the full weight of the flash KO to Rogers settle over him.

The loss dropped Andrei’s career MMA record to 15-7, and with his trainer Freddie Roach consistently hinting toward a career change to boxing, we may not see Arlovski involved in too many more MMA fights.

Early Career: 1999-2001

Ominously enough, Arlovski’s career began with a knockout loss.

After enjoying success as a Sambo fighter, Arlovski made his professional debut at an M-1 MixFight event in Russia back in 1999. Viacheslav Datsik gave “The Pitbull” his first taste of professional MMA and KO’d the native of Belarus after six minutes of fighting in the first round.

Undeterred, Arlovski returned to the training room and won the M-1 MixFight heavyweight title the following year, winning his first match quickly by submission and his final match by TKO over Roman Zentsov.

Andrei made his UFC debut in late 2000 at UFC 28 where he defeated Aaron Brink via submission in under a minute. Next up for Arlovski was a more formidable opponent in future UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez. Arlovski battled hard against the larger heavyweight, but ended up losing via TKO midway through round three.

Rise to Stardom: 2000 - 2005

The loss to Rodriguez knocked Arlovski back a few rungs on the heavyweight ladder and his climb back up was met with some early resistance. Pedro Rizzo was coming off two straight title attempt losses to the reigning UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, and would be the next opponent for Arlovski.

Once again, Arlovski put up a strong battle, but fighting the heavy-handed Rizzo ended with Andrei being KO’d midway through the third round.

After an eight month layoff, “The Pitbull” began to find his groove and striking power in the UFC, and won three straight fights. Victories over Ian Freeman, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Wesley “Cabbage” Correira set Arlovski up for a shot at the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

At UFC 51, Andrei would meet the fighter would would really come to define his career in Tim Sylvia. Arlovski walked away from UFC 51 as the UFC heavyweight champion after submitting Sylvia via ankle lock.

With an anemically weak UFC heavyweight division at the time, Arlovski appeared to be an unstoppable force. A first-round knockout against Justin Eilers and a 15-second flash knockout against Paul Buentello only further solidified this reputation.

Andrei Arlovski was a bona-fide MMA star and enjoying his success in North America. Unfortunately for Arlovski, the next few years would not be so kind.

A Star Begins to Fall: 2006 - 2008

Tim Sylvia is a fighter most MMA fans love to hate, and for whatever reason, Sylvia would prove to be the biggest stumbling block in Arlovkski’s long-term success plans.

Arlovski vs. Sylvia headlined UFC 59 as the two met for the second time. Unlike UFC 51 however, Sylvia got the upper hand this time around and KO’d Andrei halfway through round one. The rather abrupt end to the fight really began the “weak chin” talk surrounding Arlovski.

The two foes would meet again just three months later at UFC 61 as Arlovski looked to recapture his title from Tim Sylvia. The fight that ensued was, and still is, one of the most boring title fights in UFC history.

Both fighters were scared to engage to frequently for fear of a quick loss and both heavyweights were content to stand and dance with each other from the outside. Arlovski lost the fight via unanimous decision and his hopes of every regaining the UFC heavyweight crown seemed dim.

Even with the back-to-back losses, Arlovski still was a fan favorite and one of the UFC’s best heavyweights. Andrei returned at UFC 66 and quickly dispatched Marcio Cruz and four months later defeated Fabricio Werdum via decision.

With only one fight left on his contract with Zuffa, Arlovski entered renegotiations in an unenviable position—as a former champ who had been fighting poorly in the recent past. Nearly a full year past without much word or action from Arlovski and his camp and it became evident that the contract negotiations were are some sort of impasse.

In March of 2008, Andrei fought in the UFC’s Octagon for the last time when he defeated Jake O’Brien via TKO late in the second round. Failing to come to terms on an agreement, Arlovski announced to Sherdog.com that he had signed a three-fight deal with the new upstart promotion Affliction.

“The Pitbull’s” UFC career came to an end with a record of 10-4.

Days of Affliction: 2008 - Present

Affliction held their first fight card on July 19, 2008 in California and Andrei Arlovski was a featured fighter. Matched up against former IFL standout, Ben Rothwell, Arlovski once again showed some of that aggressive style that had made him so popular in the past and battled with Rothwell for three rounds.

Early in the third round, Arlovski finally got the better of the taller Rothwell and ended the fight with strikes to cap off an impressive fight.

Andrei’s next opponent was expected to be one of his toughest to date in Josh Barnett. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it), Affliction was forced to postpone their second event and the fight with Barnett was scrapped.

With a stable of fighters under contract not seeing action, Affliction loaned out Arlovski’s services to the now defunct EliteXC promotion.

Roy Nelson, the beer-bellied former IFL heavyweight champion, would be “The Pitbull’s” next challenger and once again, Andrei was able to end the fight with strikes in the second round, this time handing Nelson the first stoppage loss of his career.

With the postponement of Affliction’s second fight card, and his current five-fight win streak, Arlovski was next in line for a shot at the most feared fighter alive today: Fedor Emelianenko.

With the WAMMA heavyweight title on the line, Fedor and Andrei met on the “Affliction: Day of Reckoning” fight card in January of 2009. Whether it was Andrei who looked sharp or Fedor who looked off his game, most critics agree that Andrei was winning the opening few stanzas of the first round. WAS being the operable word in that statement.

Perhaps being over zealous or perhaps seeing some kind of opening, Arlovski attempted some sort of flying knee with Fedor in the corner. The uncharacteristic move from Arlovski proved to be a terrible decision, as Fedor coolly and calmly landed a right hook that sent Andrei to the mat like a sack of bones.

Once again, a single well-place strike to the chin had ended Andrei’s night.

Andrei’s title hopes once again had been dashed, this time in the Affliction promotion. Another period of inactivity by Affliction once again led to Arlovski’s services being lent out, this time to the Strikeforce promotion.

Brett Rogers, the promising young heavyweight talent, would be Arlovski’s next (and most recent) opponent. Heading into the fight, Arlovski was considered a slight favorite, mostly because of his past experience and the lack of top-level fighters Rogers had faced.

No sooner had the opening bell rung however, before Andrei once again found himself down on the canvas with a referee ending the fight. Roger’s was able to land a jab and get Andrei backpeddling into the cage. A few more punches square to the jaw briefly knockout the former champion and sent him down to his hands and knees.

What Does the Future Hold?

So, what does the future hold for Andrei? It would appear there is not much left for him to do and/or attempt in the world of mixed martial arts. Andrei won’t be looking at another title shot for Affliction and his days of competing with the top level of heavyweights in the UFC is also clearly over.

Andrei’s boxing trainer Freddie Roach insists that Andrei will cross over and compete in professional boxing and be able to challenge for a title there relatively quickly. While I don’t know much about the boxing world, I can’t think that taking that career change would be a wise choice.

With the superior striking skills that top level boxers have, it doesn’t appear that Andrei has the chin and defensive head movement needed to be competitive in that arena.

Andrei has also tested the waters of an acting career and does have the physique and chiseled features that Hollywood action movies are always looking for.

Personally, I’d like to see Andrei walk away from MMA completely. I wouldn’t mind seeing him compete in one more “showcase” fight for Affliction. A sort of “send off” fight seems like the appropriate gesture and venue for a fighter who has entertained fight fans for years.