History will look back favorably on
Andrei
Arlovski whenever he decides to step aside and hang up the
gloves as one of the most accomplished heavyweights of
all-time.
The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder turned 43 in
February but remains a staple for the Las Vegas-based organization.
Arlovski now rides an improbable three-fight winning streak and
sports a 6-2 record across his past eight outings, having lost only
to
Jairzinho
Rozenstruik and
Tom
Aspinall. The Belarusian has redefined himself more than once
and figures to maintain a spot on the roster for as long as he can
stay effective. Arlovski last competed on Feb. 12, when he was
awarded a split decision over
Jared
Vanderaa in their three-round UFC 271 encounter.
As Arlovski plots his next move, here are five things you might not
know about him:
1. Longevity carries his cause.
Only the venerable
Jim Miller
has more appearances (39) under the Ultimate Fighting Championship
banner than Arlovski, who has compiled a 22-14 record with one no
contest inside the Octagon. When he made his promotional debut at
UFC 28 on Nov. 17, 2000, current bantamweight contender
Yadong Song
was just 2 years old.
2. Statistical data backs up his relevance.
The UFC’s heavyweight leaderboard features Arlovski’s name quite
prominently. He ranks first in appearances (37), first in wins
(22), first in total fight time (5:54:51), first in significant
strikes landed (1,336), first in total strikes landed (1,617),
second in knockdowns (10), third in finishes (11), fourth in
takedown defense (79.4%) and fifth in knockouts (nine).
3. He can handle business in a hurry.
Arlovski has 13 first-round stoppage victories to his credit. They
account for a little less than half of his career win total (33)
and include 13-, 15-, 47- and 55-second finishes.
3. His passport has gotten a workout.
Arlovski has fought in 10 different countries as a professional
mixed martial artist: United States, Russia, Singapore, Germany,
Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Belarus, Philippines and England.
5. He played a leading role in the story of a tumultuous
division.
Arlovski is one of 17 men to have held the undisputed UFC
heavyweight championship.
Mark Coleman,
Maurice
Smith,
Randy
Couture,
Bas Rutten,
Kevin
Randleman,
Josh Barnett,
Ricco
Rodriguez,
Tim Sylvia,
Frank
Mir,
Brock
Lesnar,
Cain
Velasquez,
Junior dos
Santos,
Fabricio
Werdum,
Stipe
Miocic,
Daniel
Cormier and
Francis
Ngannou are the others.