Andrei Arlovski
| Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski | |
|---|---|
| File:Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski.jpg | |
| Born | February 4, 1979 Babruysk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Native name | Андрэй Арлоўскі |
| Other names | The Pit Bull |
| Residence | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States |
| Nationality | Belarusian |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 247 lb (112 kg; 17 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lb) |
| Reach | 77 in (196 cm) |
| Style | Boxing, Kickboxing, Sambo |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Chicago, Illinois |
| Team | Jackson's MMA |
| Rank | International Master of Sports in Sambo |
| Years active | 1999–present (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 18 |
| By knockout | 14 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By decision | 2 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Website | http://www.arlovski.com/ |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: September 30, 2011 | |
Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski (Belarusian: Андрэй Валер'евіч Арлоўскі, Belarusian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛj vaˈlʲɛrɛvitʃ arˈlɔwski], Russian: Андре́й Вале́рьевич Орло́вский, born February 4, 1979), nicknamed The Pit Bull, is a Belarusian mixed martial artist and former Undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. Arlovski is also the only man to ever KO Roy Nelson and Travis Fulton. In the ring, he is known for wearing a mouth-guard that gives the illusion of pit bull fangs. Also known for his fragile glass jaw.
Background
Arlovski was born in Bobruisk and raised in Minsk, in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic of the former USSR (now Belarus). 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 these bullies. Andrei only took up martial arts at the age of 16 having previously been interested in football. It was an interest in personal fitness and conditioning that led Arlovski to take an interest in combat sports.[1]
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 in Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 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. Not long after, Andrei became the first Master of Sports and then International Master of Sports. He took a silver medal at the Sambo World Cup and another silver medal at the World Sambo Championship.[2]
Arlovski began taking a greater interest in other martial arts, studying kickboxing and developing his striking skills to complement his Sambo-based grappling abilities.
Mixed martial arts career
At the age of 20, Arlovski began his professional MMA career at the Mix Fight M-1 in St Petersburg, Russia on April 9, 1999. It was a fairly inauspicious start, losing by KO to Viacheslav Datsik. Not deterred, Arlovski returned in 2000 to M-1 Global at the European Championships, taking the heavyweight crown with a submission victory and a KO victory.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Arlovski made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 28: High Stakes, defeating Aaron Brink by submission. He was then thrown in against top opposition, losing to future UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez and heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo. Despite those early defeats, wins over future British Cage Rage light heavyweight champion Ian Freeman and future IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko propelled Arlovski back into the UFC elite.
In 2004, a motorcycle accident injury suffered by then UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir 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 and on February 5, 2005, at UFC 51: Super Saturday, Arlovski faced former heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia. In the fight, Arlovski eventually connected with an overhand right and dropped Sylvia. On the ground, Arlovski followed up with an ankle lock that forced Sylvia to tap out at 47 seconds of the first round, making Arlovski the new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.
Arlovski went on to defend his interim title on June 4, 2005, at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, against Justin Eilers. Andrei won the bout by TKO in the first round. After the fight, it was revealed that Eilers suffered extensive injuries in this match including a badly broken nose, two broken hands and a complete ACL tear.[3]
In October 2005, Arlovski once again defended his title at UFC 55: Fury against top contender Paul Buentello. Arlovski knocked out Buentello in 15 seconds of the opening round.[4][5] On August 12, 2005, the UFC announced that it now recognized Arlovski as the undisputed heavyweight champion, as Frank Mir had not fully rehabilitated from his motorcycle accident.
In a rematch with Tim Sylvia at UFC 59: Reality Check 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 recovered almost immediately. While Arlovski tried to finish Sylvia with a right lead, Sylvia countered with a short right uppercut to the chin, knocking Arlovski to the mat. Sylvia followed up with punches on the ground until referee Herb Dean stopped the match at 2:43 of the first round.
The rubber match between Tim Sylvia and Arlovski took place on July 8, 2006, at UFC 61: Bitter Rivals. In what turned out to be a 5 round battle of attrition, neither fighter was able to KO the other, or even land any truly significant blows. In the end Sylvia won the fight by unanimous decision. It was later discovered that during the fight, Arlovski had been significantly injured by a checked leg kick sometime in the second round which left him unable to throw kicks of his own or make any takedown attempts. When confronted by a reporter about the injury, Arlovski avoided responding directly and would only say "I do not want to talk about my injuries or look for any other excuses."[6] Not too long after it was revealed Sylvia had sustained an injury as he fainted at his hotel room and upon hospital examination, doctors discovered a concussion undetected after the match.[7]
Arlovski made his next appearance on December 30, 2006, at UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Márcio Cruz. After being taken down, he kicked Cruz in the shoulder (which is legal) but it was mistaken for a head kick (which is illegal) by referee Herb Dean. When the referee intervened, he decided, because of Cruz's insistence, to allow both fighters to stay on the ground as opposed to standing them up, as is the general practice. Thereafter, Arlovski struck Cruz with a strong blow to the chin, then continued beating Cruz with hammerfists until the fight was stopped.
Arlovski fought PRIDE veteran and two-time world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 70: Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga and won by unanimous decision. Both fighters kept their distance for the majority of the fight, causing the referee to inform them at the beginning of the third round that he would remove a point from the first fighter to retreat in that round. Although Arlovski won the fight by unanimous decision, many boos could be heard from the crowd. After the fight Arlovski apologized to the fans for not fighting for the full fifteen minutes.
After 11 months of inactivity, Arlovski made his return to the octagon for the final time at UFC 82: Pride of a Champion and defeated Jake O'Brien by TKO in round two. With this win, Arlovski gave O'Brien his first ever MMA loss.[8] This was Arlovski's final fight on his UFC contract.[9]
Arlovski left the UFC with a record of 10–4, including going 3–2 in title fights.
Affliction Entertainment
After leaving the UFC, Arlovski signed with the newly created MMA-promotion Affliction and participated in their inaugural event Affliction: Banned on July 19, 2008. He fought and defeated top ranked heavyweight fighter and former IFL heavyweight stand-out Ben Rothwell by KO in the final round of the fight, ending Rothwell's 13 fight win streak and giving him his first defeat in over 3 years.[10]
Originally scheduled to face former UFC Heavyweight Champion and top-ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett in the main event at Affliction's second pay-per-view, Affliction: Day of Reckoning, on October 11, 2008, the event was rescheduled and Arlovski would instead be matched up against the last reigning IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson at EliteXC: Heat on October 4, 2008, in Sunrise, Florida in a co-promotion with EliteXC. Arlovski won the fight via KO in the second round and in the process became the only man to ever finish Nelson in his MMA career.[11]
In January 2009, Arlovski faced the last reigning PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. With an impressive performance in the first two minutes of the bout, connecting with almost every attack and being significantly faster then Fedor, who has reigned atop the sport's heavyweight division.[12] Andrei looked exceptionally well prepared and focused. Despite those early efforts, Arlovski lost the fight via KO in the opening round after jumping in with a very long range knee and being caught with a hay-maker of an overhand right that could have knocked out anyone on the planet.[13]
Strikeforce
On June 6, 2009, Arlovski fought up and coming heavyweight Brett Rogers at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. Arlovski lost the fight via TKO in the opening round.[14] As a result, Arlovski has begun training with acclaimed MMA coach Greg Jackson in October 2009.[15] Arlovski was a featured attendee at Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs. Rogers where he was mobbed with a crowd of local Chicago fans. Arlovski was signed to Strikeforce and fought former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva on May 15, 2010, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery.[16] after 3 rounds of hard hitting punches from both and no one giving in to each, Andrei Arlovski lost by unanimous decision.
Andrei Arlovski was defeated by Sergei Kharitonov via KO on February 12, 2011, as part of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. It was his fourth straight loss, three of which were by way of KO. On February 17, 2011, Andrei Arlovski spoke for over an hour on a Live Video Chat he does monthly with his fans on his website, repeatedly saying that he would absolutely not retire and end his career this way. Andrei Arlovski indicated there was a situation with his trainers recommended that he retire; however, Greg Jackson was against his retirement. Andrei dedicated himself to training exclusively with Greg Jackson in New Mexico to refocus on his MMA career and make the necessary changes to get back on track.
ProElite
After several months of grueling training scheduel in New Mexico with Greg Jackson and the likes of Jon Jones, Shane Carwin and Travis Browne, Arlovski headlined ProElite 1 on August 27 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii against heavyweight Ray Lopez. Arlovski won by TKO in the third round after dominating Lopez throughout the fight.
Arlovski faced off against veteran of over 300 fights Travis Fulton at ProElite 2 in November, serving as the co-main event.[17] Arlovski won the fight via a head kick KO in the final second of the third round. It was a knockout which caused Fulton, who has never been knocked out, to regain consciousness about 5 minutes after the fight was stopped. Fulton later admitted to Arlovski in the locker room that he has never been hit that hard in all of his 300 bouts.[18]
ONE Fighting Championship
In mid-July 2012, it was announced that Andrei Arlovski had signed with the Asia-based promotion ONE Fighting Championship.[19] The promotion quickly announced that Arlovski would face Tim Sylvia in his debut, marking the fourth time the two fighters had faced each other.
Arlovski and Sylvia faced off at ONE Fighting Championship: Pride of a Nation on August 31, 2012 in Manila. The end of the bout was mired in controversy as Arlovski dropped Sylvia with punches in the second round and followed up with two soccer kicks to the face. However, the referee had not given Arlovski the "open attack" signal which allowed for soccer kicks to the head of a downed opponent. Sylvia was given time to recover, but ultimately chose not to continue. As a result, the bout was stopped and ruled a No Contest.[20]
Following the controversy, it was not only revealed that Arlovski broke Sylvia's arm with a kick sometime during the 1st round, but also that OneFC has removed the "open attack" rule.[21]
World Series of Fighting
Arlovski headlined the debut event from the World Series of Fighting against fellow Strikeforce veteran Devin Cole on November 3, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event aired live on NBC Sports.[22] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Royal FC
Arlovski is also scheduled to fight 2 time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion and veteran of over 60 fights Jeff Monson in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 2nd, 2013. This fight will serve as the co-main event.[23]
Movie career
Arlovski first movie debut was in the 8 of Diamonds in 2006. He starred in Universal Soldier: Regeneration, along with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. In the movie, he plays a "NGU", a new generation UniSol in the main "bad guy" role. The movie was released directly to video on February 2, 2010, in the United States.[24] Arlovski also plays a part in the next Universal Soldier movie — Universal Soldier: A New Dimension to be release in theaters on November 30th and on demand October 25th.
Arlovski appeared on Mayhem Miller's MTV show Bully Beatdown in which he beat up a bully, earning the bully's victims $10,000.
Maximus "Maximus Arlovski" Andrei's Pit Bull
Andrei's best friend, training camp companion and beloved pet pit bull has gained a very big following from Arlovski fans as being cute and exceptionally smart, as demonstrated by various tricks they do in picture and on video together.
Championships and Accomplishments
Mixed Martial Arts
- M-1 Global
- M-1 MFC-European Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
- Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
Sambo
- European Youth Sambo
- European Youth Sambo Champion
- World Cup
- 2nd place in the World Cup in Sambo
- World Sambo Championship
- 2nd place at the World Sambo Championship
Mixed martial arts record
| 28 matches | 18 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 14 | 7 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Monson | Royal FC | February 2, 2013 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||||||
| Win | 18–9 (1) | Devin Cole | TKO (punches) | WSOF 1 | November 3, 2012 | 1 | 2:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| NC | 17–9 (1) | Tim Sylvia | NC (kick to grounded opponent) | ONE Fighting Championship: Pride of a Nation | August 31, 2012 | 2 | 4:46 | Manila, Philippines | Illegal soccer kicks; see above |
| Win | 17–9 | Travis Fulton | KO (head kick) | ProElite II: Big Guns | November 5, 2011 | 3 | 4:59 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 16–9 | Ray Lopez | TKO (punches) | ProElite: Arlovski vs. Lopez | August 27, 2011 | 3 | 2:43 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 15–9 | Sergei Kharitonov | KO (punches) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva | February 12, 2011 | 1 | 2:49 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 15–8 | Antonio Silva | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery | May 15, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| Loss | 15–7 | Brett Rogers | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields | June 6, 2009 | 1 | 0:22 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| Loss | 15–6 | Fedor Emelianenko | KO (punch) | Affliction: Day of Reckoning | January 24, 2009 | 1 | 3:14 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 15–5 | Roy Nelson | KO (punch) | EliteXC: Heat | October 4, 2008 | 2 | 1:46 | Sunrise, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 14–5 | Ben Rothwell | KO (punches) | Affliction: Banned | July 19, 2008 | 3 | 1:13 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 13–5 | Jake O'Brien | TKO (punches) | UFC 82 | March 1, 2008 | 2 | 4:17 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | |
| Win | 12–5 | Fabricio Werdum | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 70 | April 21, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Manchester, England | |
| Win | 11–5 | Márcio Cruz | KO (punches) | UFC 66 | December 30, 2006 | 1 | 3:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–5 | Tim Sylvia | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 61 | July 8, 2006 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 10–4 | Tim Sylvia | TKO (punches) | UFC 59 | April 15, 2006 | 1 | 2:43 | Anaheim, California, United States | Lost the UFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–3 | Paul Buentello | KO (punch) | UFC 55 | October 7, 2005 | 1 | 0:15 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Defended the UFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–3 | Justin Eilers | TKO (punches) | UFC 53 | June 4, 2005 | 1 | 4:10 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Defended the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. Later promoted to UFC Heavyweight Champion. |
| Win | 8–3 | Tim Sylvia | Submission (achilles lock) | UFC 51 | February 5, 2005 | 1 | 0:47 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | 7–3 | Wesley Correira | TKO (punches) | UFC 47 | April 2, 2004 | 2 | 1:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–3 | Vladimir Matyushenko | KO (punch) | UFC 44 | September 26, 2003 | 1 | 2:10 | Paradise, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 5–3 | Ian Freeman | TKO (punches) | UFC 40 | November 22, 2002 | 1 | 1:25 | Paradise, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Pedro Rizzo | KO (punches) | UFC 36 | March 22, 2002 | 3 | 1:45 | Paradise, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Ricco Rodriguez | TKO (punches) | UFC 32 | June 29, 2001 | 3 | 1:23 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Aaron Brink | Submission (armbar) | UFC 28 | November 11, 2000 | 1 | 0:55 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | John Dixson | KO (punches) | Super Fight at International Tournament | May 13, 2000 | 1 | 0:13 | N/A | |
| Win | 2–1 | Roman Zentsov | TKO (punches) | M-1 MFC: European Championship 2000 | April 9, 2000 | 1 | 1:18 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Won the 2000 M-1 MFC-European Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | 1–1 | Michael Tielrooy | Submission (guillotine choke) | M-1 MFC: European Championship 2000 | April 9, 2000 | 1 | 1:25 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Viacheslav Datsik | KO (punch) | M-1 MFC: World Championship 1999 | April 9, 1999 | 1 | 6:05 | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
See also
References
- ^ Goodlad (October 2005), Terry (October 2005). "Beware of the Glassjaw". Flex Magazine on Findarticles.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Andre Arlovski Profile - No longer available". UFC.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Gross, Josh (June 6, 2005). "UFC 53 Injury Update: Eilers and Tanner". Sherdog.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Dave Doyle. "UFC 55: Cop to it". Yahoo!.
- ^ http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Andrei-Arlovski-270
- ^ Furci, Mike (July 17, 2006). "Andrei Arlovski post-fight interview". Bullz-eye.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Beatdown: UFC Champ Sylvia Talks Title Defense". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ Arlovski downs O'Brien on undercard of UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - Yahoo! Canada News[dead link]
- ^ Caplan, Sam (January 18, 2008). "Report: Andrei Arlovski to fight at UFC 82". FiveOuncesofPain.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ "Affliction Banned results & live play-by-play". MMAWeekly.com. July 19, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ Martin, Damon. "Andrei Arlovski vs Roy Nelson at Elite XC on CBS". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/mma/01/24/arlovski.fedor.blog/index.html#ixzz29UxgrrpV
- ^ Barnes, Jared (January 25, 2009). "Fedor rocks Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Reckoning". Chron.com. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Savage, Greg (June 7, 2009). "Shields Submits Lawler; Rogers Stuns Arlovski". Sherdog.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Loretta Hunt. "Arlovski to Train with Jackson's Academy". Sherdog.
- ^ "Overeem vs. Rogers, Arlovski vs. "Bigfoot" official for May 15 Strikeforce event in St. Louis". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/25704/hdnet-to-air-proelite-2-live-on-nov-5.mma
- ^ http://www.mmamania.com/2012/7/20/3169143/andrei-arlovski-on-sparring-with-manny-pacquiao-signing-with-golden
- ^ "Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlvoski signs on for ONE FC: 'Pride of a Nation' in Manila". MMAmania.com. July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia Fight to Controversial No Contest". MMAfighting.com. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/30482/one-fc-eliminates-open-attack-rule-adopts-full-pride-rules-for-soccer-kicks.mma
- ^ "Andrei Arlovski-Devin Cole Booked for Inaugural World Series of Fighting Headliner in Las Vegas". Sherdog.com. September 25, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ http://www.imperiomma.com/royal-fc-debuts-in-february-with-cro-cop-vs-rizzo/
- ^ Universal Soldier: Regeneration at IMDb
