Andrei Arlovski: Difference between revisions
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|hometown=[[Minsk]], [[Belarus]] |
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|fightstyle=[[Sambo]], [[Kickboxing]], [[Boxing]], [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]] |
|fightstyle=[[Sambo]], [[Kickboxing]], [[Boxing]], [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]] |
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Revision as of 04:15, 23 July 2006
Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (born 4 February 1979 in Minsk, Belarus) is a Belarusian mixed martial arts fighter and the former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion.
Biography
Andrei Arlovski grew up in Minsk, Belarus, and when he was younger, bullies often picked on him and beat him up. In 1994, when he was 14 years old, he finally had enough and started lifting weights to put on muscle and, he hoped, to help him deal with bullies.[1]. Andrei only took up martial arts at the age of 18 having previously been interested in soccer. It was an interest in personal fitness and conditioning that led Arlovski to take an interest in combat sports.
Enrolling at the police academy in Minsk, Arlovski combined his interest in a career in law enforcement with his growing martial arts participation by taking up the required police defense course of Sambo, and quickly showed himself to be a highly competent Sambo exponent. In 1999, Andrei won the European Youth Sambo Championship and the World Youth Championship. He also took a silver medal at the Sambo World Cup and another silver medal at the World Sambo Championship.
Arlovski began taking a greater interest in other martial arts, studying kickboxing and developing striking skills to complement his Sambo-based grappling abilities.
M1 Mix-Fight
With mixed martial arts competitions taking off around the world, Arlovski began his professional MMA career at the Mix Fight M-1 in St Petersburg, Russia in April 1999. It was a fairly inauspicious start, losing by KO to the un-heralded Viacheslav Datsik. Not deterred, Arlovski returned in 2000 to M-1 at the European Championships, taking the heavyweight crown with a submission victory and a knock-out victory.
UFC
Arlovski made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 28: High Stakes, defeating Aaron Brink by submission. He was thrown in against top opposition early on in his UFC career, taking tough losses against Ricco Rodriguez and Pedro Rizzo. Despite those early defeats, big wins over Ian Freeman and Vladimir Matyushenko propelled Arlovski back into the UFC elite.
The motorcycle accident injury suffered by UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in 2004 led to the creation of an "interim heavyweight title". It was decided that the two top heavyweight contenders would meet to declare the interim champion. On February 5, 2005 at UFC 51, Arlovski would face the previous heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia.
The two competitors were well known for their hard hitting style, with Sylvia having won eight straight matches prior to facing Mir all through his striking prowess. As soon as the fight began, Arlovski showed greater mobility and accuracy when striking. He connected with an overhand right and dropped Sylvia, following up with an ankle lock on the ground that forced Sylvia to tap out at 47 seconds of the first round.
Arlovski made a subsequent defense of the interim title in June, when his opponent Justin Eilers suffered a freak injury to his anterior cruciate ligament. On August 12, 2005, the UFC announced that it now recognized Arlovski as the Heavyweight Champion outright, as Mir had not fully rehabilitated from his motorcylce accident. The first defense of the title took place on October 7 of that same year at UFC 55, with Arlovski knocking out top contender Paul Buentello in 15 seconds of the opening round.
In a rematch with Tim Sylvia on April 15, 2006, Arlovski knocked Sylvia down with a right hand punch early in the first round. Sylvia was able to protect himself and immediately get up, and while Arlovski tried to finish Sylvia with a right lead, Sylvia countered with a right hook to the chin. Arlovski collapsed on the ground stunned, trapping his own arms under his chest, and with Sylvia peppering the side of Arlovski's face, referee Herb Dean stopped the match at 2:43 of the first round, ending Arlovski's title reign.
The rubber match between Tim Sylvia and Arlovski took place on July 8th 2006 at UFC 61: Bitter Rivals. In what turned out to be a 5 round battle of attrition, Arlovski was unable to penetrate the defenses of Sylvia, who would win the fight by decision.
Current Training
Andrei currently lives and trains in Chicago, Illinois. His boxing coach is Mike Garcia, and he trains Rickson Gracie's style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with Dino Costeas at POW Martial Arts. He has also has been training with UFC legend Randy Couture.
Trivia
Andrei's ring entrance music ("Onward to Victory") is performed by the side project of Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, Icepick.
MMA Record
9 wins (6 KO's, 3 submissions), 5 losses (4 KO's, 1 decision), 0 draw.