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Andrei Arlovski was the king of the mixed martial arts world a mere six years ago, but on Saturday, February 12th, he will look to win his first fight in more than two years when he faces Sergei Kharitonov at the Izod Center in New Jersey.
On February 5th, 2005 Arlovski defeated Tim Sylvia via a first round submission to capture the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s interim heavyweight title. It would take Arlovski only 47 seconds to secure the win via ankle lock.
In his next bout, Arlovski defended his interim title, defeating Justin Eilers via first round TKO.
Arlovski was promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion when Frank Mir, who had held the title, was slow to recover from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
In his first defense of the full UFC title, Arlovski defeated Paul Buentello with a 15 second first-round knockout at UFC 55.
Arlovski was riding high, with the UFC heavyweight title and a MMA record of 10-3 when he met Tim Sylvia in a rematch at UFC 59 in April of 2006.
Sylvia avenged his earlier loss, defeating Arlovski via first round TKO and capturing the heavyweight belt.
The two would meet again at UFC 61, and while that fight would go a full five rounds, Arlovski would be unable to reclaim the title, losing a unanimous decision to Sylvia.
Arlovski would fight three more times in the UFC, winning each of those bouts, including a unanimous decision win over fellow Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament competitor Fabricio Werdum at UFC 70.
Arlovski closed out his UFC contract at UFC 82, defeating Jake O’Brien by second round TKO on the March 2008 fight card.
Arlovski then signed on with Affliction, competing on both of that promotion’s fight cards before they closed shop. In his first bout, Arlovski defeated Ben Rothwell. His second bout did not go as well, as he fell in the first round to Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor brutally knocked Arlovski out at the 3:14 mark.
Arlovski, then moved to Strikeforce. He would lose his next two bouts to two fighters who are also participating in the Strikeforce Tournament, Brett Rogers and Antonio Silva.
Arlovski’s record currently stands at 15-8 and he needs a win in his bout on Saturday to remain relevant in the world of mixed martial arts.
There are a lot of questions surrounding Arlovski going into his bout with Sergei Kharitonov on Saturday, February 12th. The biggest questions are the strength of his chin and if he can withstand an opponent that will take the action to him.
Arlovski will be out to prove that he is a better fighter than he has shown in his last three bouts while Kharitonov will set out to prove that Arlovksi’s time has passed.
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