Fighting Fedor: Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski Affliction interview with MMAmania.com
By: Adam Wagner
If all goes according to plan, Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-5) might have a new nickname in store come January. How’s “The Emperor Slayer” sound? Now riding a five-fight win streak and set to challenge for the WAMMA title, Arlovski’s career is on the up and up to say the least.
It’s worth noting that Arlovski, once considered fairly unbeatable himself during his reign atop the UFC’s heavyweight division, hasn’t lost to a fighter who wasn’t named “Tim Sylvia” since March 2002. That’s six-and-a-half years and 11 wins over some of the best heavyweights in mixed martial arts, including Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), Tim Sylvia (24-5) (the first time) Paul Buentello (26-10) and Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3).
Arlovski recently added two more KO’s to his fighter resume, battering “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-6) in the third round at Affliction: “Banned” in July and knocking out Roy “Big Country” Nelson (13-3) in the second round under the EliteXC banner on October 4. The first fight snapped Rothwell’s 13-fight win streak, while the second fight makes Arlovski the only man to ever finish Nelson in his 16-fight career.
He’s now set to face off against the man many claim is unbeatable, Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (28-1). The two Sambo Masters of Sport will go head to head at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” on Saturday, January 24, 2009, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The superfight is also expected to feature such stars as Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Chris Horodecki, Dan Lauzon, Vladimir Matyushenko and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, as well as Ozzy “The Prince of F-n’ Darkness” Osbourne, who will be on hand as the musical guest.
We recently caught up with Arlovski to discuss his upcoming fight with Fedor, how his infamously prolonged UFC contract dispute affected him and if there’s any cultural rivalry between him (a Belorussian) and Fedor (a Russian).
NOTE: If you haven’t already, you might want to check out Arlovski’s Web site, www.arlovski.com. The site is, at least from this writer’s perspective, unlike anything else in the MMA community. More than just a fighter’s personal blog, it’s a full-fledged social networking site that’s translated into 25 different languages and currently sees more traffic than both Randy “The Natural” Couture and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell’s Web sites. They frequently sponsor a variety of contests and recently flew a contest winner from North Carolina out to Chicago to spend a day with “The Pitbull.” Not too shabby. Not too shabby indeed.
Let’s get after it.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): After eight years and 14 fights, what are your feelings on leaving the UFC?
Andrei Arlovski: I was kind of sad when I left the UFC (implying that eight years is a long time), but I then had the opportunity with Affliction, so, so far I am good. Affliction has the best, I would say, 10 best heavyweights. And right now I have the opportunity to fight Fedor on January 24, so all is good.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Was one of the reasons that you had a contract dispute with the UFC their lack of competition in the heavyweight division?
Andrei Arlovski: That too and I have some other reasons.
[Note: To clarify, Arlovski was implying that there were multiple reasons for not being able to come to terms with the UFC. The fact that Affliction was, at the same time, drawing in a lot of top heavyweight talent made the decision to sign with Affliction an attractive option. I do not think that he was trying to imply that the UFC’s heavyweight roster was lacking.]
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With the way the UFC handled your contract negotiation — with not letting you fight for a year, and then when you finally did, putting you on the undercard against Jake O’Brien, rather than featuring you against a top contender — did you feel that that was disrespectful?
Andrei Arlovski: I don’t think so. It was discussed before I fought at that UFC, and Dana White discussed what’s good for business. It was good for them, so I am (fine). Of course I was kind of disappointed to not fight for months — it was a hard time for me — but otherwise everything was good.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Dana White has said that losing you “hurt” the UFC. He obviously didn’t want you to leave, at least according to that statement. Do you ever think that a return to the UFC could be possible at some point down the road?
Andrei Arlovski: I have a great relationship with the UFC and Dana White and the Fertittas, and he told me, “When you are ready, you are welcome,” you know. Maybe one day, I don’t know. (When I left the UFC), everything changed according to this world that I know, and after all the fights … I (still) have a great relationship with the UFC.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’ve had two recent fights now outside the UFC, both of them ending in KOs. Are you getting more comfortable outside of the Octagon?
Andrei Arlovski: There’s not really a big difference if I am fighting inside the Octagon or in a ring, because I do all my sparring in a ring, so I’m really comfortable. Some complain about fighting in a cage or in a ring, but there’s not really a difference for me, because I do a lot of sparring for my boxing, and all the time I’m sparring in the ring, so I’m pretty comfortable.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What’s it like working with Freddie Roach?
Andrei Arlovski: Great. Yes, I see him about three or four times per year. I will spend a few weeks with Freddie Roach (at the Wildcard Boxing Club) in L.A. But I am still training MMA with another great boxing trainer, Mike Garcia in Chicago. They’re both great. They have different (lessons) for me. So the time that I spend training with (Freddie) I learn something, and every single time when I step in the ring and I look out at Mike in Chicago, he teaches me something new.
I think I’m pretty lucky because I have the best trainers in my camp: Dino Costeas, jiu-jitsu, he’s been with me from day one, almost eight years; my wrestling coaches, Sean Bormet and John Kading — Sean Bormet was a wrestling coach for the last Olympic games — Freddie Roach and Mike Garcia. Great trainers.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It was reported that you were interested in competing in boxing as well as MMA. Has there been any movement there?
Andrei Arlovski: Right now I am focused on the fight on January 24, so we’ll see after that.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You most recently defeated Roy Nelson via KO. How pleased were you with your performance overall?
Andrei Arlovski: First of all, I don’t like taking fights on short notice — it was short notice, two weeks before the fight. But as far as my game plan, one of my trainers told me, “You have to move a lot in the first round.” But actually I didn’t move a lot in the first round. In the second round, I had to use more of my boxing, my wrestling, my jiu-jitsu.
But actually, I wasn’t happy about the fight, I wasn’t happy with my performance, but I got the victory and I knocked him out. I am happy about that. But after the fight, I watched my fight many, many times, and I understood that I have a lot of work, everywhere, but especially wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’re now set to face Fedor Emelianenko — widely considered the best heavyweight on the planet. How do you feel about that?
Andrei Arlovski: Well, I’m very happy that they call him the best fighter on the planet, so it’s good for me. Everybody is, “Oh, Fedor, Fedor.” And it’s okay, it’s fine with me. He deserves it. He’s a great fighter who has fought many, many great fighters.
Yeah, it’s great. I think it’s a great opportunity for me. And we’ll find out on January 24 who’s better, the Belarusian or the Russian.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Is there any cultural rivalry that exists since between the two of you, just because he’s Russian, and you’re Belarusian?
Andrei Arlovski: If you do want to be the best fighter, you have to fight the best fighter. We’ll see January 24 who will be the best fighter. It’s a great opportunity for me. I’ve waited for this fight for a long time, so finally I got it.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): He is tremendous on the ground and has extremely dangerous submissions, armbars, etc. Would you prefer to keep this fight standing as long as possible to avoid a submission?
Andrei Arlovski: Yeah, but ground game is not everything. You have to at least (be) a good striker and kickboxer or Muay Thai striker. We’ll see, we’ll see. Of course I have a game plan. I have a lot of input from all my trainers. We’ll see. I spend a lot of time on wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Yeah, I’ll be ready for him.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Since leaving the UFC, you’ve fought twice in three months. Going forward, how many times per year would you like to fight?
Andrei Arlovski: At least three or four. You know, every fighter likes about a month between. Yeah, three or four times I think is very good for me.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, Andrei, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us and I know that you have a ton of fans who frequent MMAmania.com. Lastly, would you like to thank any sponsors or do you have any parting words for your fans?
Andrei Arlovski: Thanks to MMAmania.com for the interview, and thanks to all my fans for the support. You should check out my Web site, www.arlovski.com.
Special thanks to Keith Gelman, Andrei Arlovski’s marketing agent, for helping to set up this interview.
128 Comments »
Jesse, just constructive criticism here: Ask less “Yes or No” questions to avoid having to interject commentary. That will let fighters give better, more thought out answers.
adam did the interview, and he did fine! that dude on mmarated is the best, but only because I can watch them and not read them. If I wanted to do so much heavy reading, I’d be getting my PHD.
great interview, should be a good fight!
There’s a site called YouTube.com. Check it out.
lol, are your interviews done via phone? if so it makes sense! just seems like that other guy gets em all live! You’re the only site I regularly frequent and only site I comment on! Don’t take it to heart that I’d rather see you do the interviews than read them…unless you look like the elephant man! (for you younger readers, look it up). lol, even then, I’d rather watch it! good stuff mania!
Just my $.02, but I prefer reading the interviews to watching them. I read faster than they talk.
never thought of it like that, that’s true!
some of the video ones are quite long!
Great Interview Adam, as always! When I read the thread title saying iit would be an interview with Arlovski I was a little skeptical about what the quality of the interview would be because historically, Arlovski doesnt give the best interviews. He rarely answers questions, instead shooting off 1 liners like “we’ll c” and stuff like that. But adam got Andre to open up a bit….I really enjoyed this interview adam!
Great work!
Correct John, Arolovski is typically a very boring interview unless you bring up Timmy and his ex girl… Pee Pee anyone?
And KEV man, do you want me to check and see if I can get you a date with Ariel from MMArated???
I mean seriously, you talk about the guy EVERY day on here.
A lot of people come to this site while working, and some of them don’t have speakers or simply aren’t able to have sound come out of thier computer (I got speakers that I brought in myself). For those people, which is a large percentage of the people here prefer to read the interview. Just think about all those interview video posts where you have people posting along the lines of “What did he say? I cant listen”.
yeah, I see what you’re saying too Mike! Mania has the best interviews, that’s for sure! No, I don’t need a date, just curious how that guy got so cosied up to all the fighters. he’s everywhere! you’d think that site would be better with him flying all over to do the interviews (ala john fitch).
VM, how do you see the odds opening up for this fight? I’m thinkin if AA is a heavy underdog, it will be extremely hard not to bet $$ on him.
I agree damn, my guess is at least +150, maybe more!
Kev, as you know, I was just bustin balls!
As for the odds to this fight, if I were to be setting the odds, I would have them be:
Fedor -280
Arlovski +220
However, lucky for me, I think that the actual odds will be a little different. Arlovski is super popular in the states and Fedor isn’t. THerefore, Andrei will not be as big of a dog. Maybe like:
Fedor -220
Arlovski +160
I’ll take Fedor minus just about anything, parlayed with Barnett and some other ‘guarantee’.
The trickiest part about me betting on Fedor will be WHEN to place the bet. If Arlovski opens at +200 or better, all the early money will come in on him and Fedor’s odds will become better. As of this moment, I am imagining myself getting Fedor at -250 for this fight.
yeah mike, I think Fedor might not be that big of a favorite. AA is very popular in the U.S., and Fedor isn’t (except with real fans). You might be able to get fedor at less than -200 after the money starts to flow on AA!
yes, I know you were bustin balls!
I am betting really Big on Fedor! As respectful as Fedor always is, he seemed to get a little pissed off that everyone was acting as though him losing in Sambo was equivilant to him losing an mma fight. I feel that right now, Fedor is more motivated than usual, which spells a lot of trouble for Arlovski. I see Andre getting thrown around the ring like a rag doll…..Seriously!
Arlovski = Pitbull
Fedor = Mike Vick
We are going to see some serious Animal Cruelty that night! War Fedor! I hope Andre at least makes it interesting!
I think the loss in sambo (good job with the spelling today john..if it’s the real john) really affected him too. He will actually train harder for this fight than he ever did. If the AA from 4-5 years ago shows up, it will be a great fight! If the AA fromthe past 2 years shows up, he’s dead in the 1st!
good one john lol
yooooo,
yeah, i do most of my interviews by phone. i’m not located in Vegas, so it makes it easier. this was actually the hardest interview i’ve ever done because we had a bad connection and i couldn’t understand some of what AA said (at the time). so my follow-up questions kinda suck. but AA was a good sport about it, and it should make for a GREAT fight with Fedor!
and yes, i do look like the elephant-man, but without the hunchback.
lol, I was kidding, I’ve been half busting mania’s balls for a few days about ariel over at mmarated getting all the interviews on video! these guys brought up good points about the videos being long and not being able to watch them at work. Jesse said ariel has done a lot for mma, I was wondering, other than doing good interviews, what has he done? I was seriously wondering, not joking!
i thought you said ariel was a douche
I did/do, jesse said he’s done a lot for the sport, like what?! he gets great interviews though, can’t take that away from the guy!
he must have some good conections because he does get them all
thats what I said, who is he blowing
Good fight….I guess I’m paying $40 bucks for it, unless Barnett fights somebody worthy on the card as well.
i heard brett rogers is a possibility
Adam, just constructive criticism here: Ask less “Yes or No” questions to avoid having to interject commentary. That will let fighters give better, more thought out answers.
dude it wasn’t good criticism at the top when you said it…doesn’t mean when you say it down here people are going to reply back favorably. If you knew anything about this site its the fact that we don’t like repeat comments in different sections common man
Actually, I was trying to edit my post, because I put Jesse, accidentally. Apparently we can’t edit said posts.
And the quality of the criticism is subjective. I know that as a journalist, I was taught to avoid “yes/no” questions unless it’s on film.
Fedor by GNP destruction. Arlovski is gonna get hurt.
truth. What would you guys’ top 3 HW list look like if he won?
Lesnar, Big Nog, Arlovski
lesnar?
LMFAO @….”Lesnar, Big Nog, Arlovski”
If Arlovski wins, I’d say…
1. Arlovski
2. Fedor
3. Nog
Depending on how the whole Nog, Mir, Lesnar thing pans out of course….#3 would belong to the winner of that mess.
You can’t have Mir, Nog, or Lesnar above Fedor, no matter who wins out of those three…considering Fedor beat Nog twice.
say Mir wins out, why couldn’t he be above Fedor with what would be 4 straight wins including two over HW champ Brock Lesnar and the legend Nogueira? He’d be undefeated since straightening his mind out from that horrific accident he had and at 29, he’s got all the talent in the world to be one of the best ever.
Obviously, he’s got a lot of work to do still to get there but I really think that Mir has the ability to get it done. Especially if he finishes Nog, he’d be #2 to whoever wins the Affliction showdown.
You must be kidding that Mir should be ranked higher than Fedor. You don’t know your MMA. I was a big Mir fan back in his day prior to the accident, but Fedor is from another planet. If anyone is to be ranked higher than him, they should have to beat him.
My personal opinion is that Fedor likes to knockout UFC champs in 36 seconds and expect a painful fight of AA running away or getting the shit beat out of him early.
If Mir gets in there with Fedor, he will get ktfo so fast he will be like Silvia wondering what happened as would Coutour. I think Fedor should fight 2x UFC champs back to back in one night to prove the point that UFC heavy weight is a joke.
i think arlovski is gonna catch fedor and finish him in round 1 in a stand up war that sets the bar for badass first rounds
I know and respect Fedor’s power even if I haven’t seen it first hand. But I’ve got a funny feelin’ about this, I dunno. Arlovski with the KO!
I sincerely hope that Arlovski’s popularity in the US makes him not THAT big of an underdog. I never thought that I’d be able to bet on Fedor at -200 or better, but I’m starting to think Juuuuuuuust Maybe…..
Love it Mania, thanks for the interview. AA will beat Fedor, Fedor has become too comfortable and hearing his excuses for losing the sambo tournament made him seem weaker. He is not a machine! He bleeds, You see? He’s not a machine, he’s a man, he’s a man!
He is not a machine, he is NOT a man – he is MMAgod – simply – he is FEDOR!
They recently gave Fedor a piss test and it came back pure acid.
He farts fire to
“widely considered the best heavyweight on the planet” Huh? I dont think its considered more like he is.
in your OPINION
In just about everyone’s opinion except Dana White, and I think down deep he knows it.
I don’t think that fedor has consistently fought top level competition, especially recently. I know he’s an amazing fighter i just don’t love him as much as everyone else does, clearly.
Who has?
Timmay?
Timmay is pretty much top-level – beat Arlovski twice
Okay, so Tim has fought top level competition consistently enough to garner your respect, but the guy who beat the piss out of him in 36 seconds hasn’t?
Lol, ‘Timmay’
I’m a big Arlovski fan so we don’t talk about those two fights ok?
Let’s get something straight, nobody should respect tim Silvia. If he had any kind of ability then he would be unstoppable. His only skill is being bigger than everyone else.
I know I will get a lot of stick for this but Tim got lucky in his first win over Arlovski. And in the second fight it wasn’t the same Arlovski that turned up.
Andrei has got the fire back and I just want to see a good showing against Fedor. Plus, if Fedor loses then a lot of people will have to stop kissing his B-Hole… as they say.
i don’t think andrei is the easiest person to interview anyway. i don’t know. if his chin was as good as his striking ability he’d be unstoppable. unfortunately for him fedor has him trumped in all areas except for leg kicks. i still wanna see him match up with cro cop someday though.
Personally, I feel that Andrei has the advantage in all aspects of striking. Andrei’s chin is suspect though, and he will be at a disadvantage on the ground. I am rooting for Andrei, but I don’t expect him to win.
Let’s hope Arlovski’s strategy comin’ into this fight is to pepper Fedor’s legs to a pulp, then ground and pound him out. I know Fedor has taken punishment and will easily weather the initial barrage Arlovski will dish out[if he's careless enough], but I’m just thinking that if Andrei takes out his mobility early on, Fedor’s speed and power would be rendered useless.
O yeah and Fedor will end it in the first Via disgusting TKO/KO!
Arlovski has a shot in this. Anybody who can strike as well as that guy has at least a chance.
I totally agree.
I’ll agree that he has a shot. In this sport ANYTHING can happen. But IMO, AA is a HUGE, HUGE underdog.
Arlovski by UD, or 2nd rd KO
I’ve always liked Arlovski, but it’s hard to pick him in this one. He’s just over matched. He definitely has a puncher’s chance, but Fedor has a solid chin and good recovery speed. Another one bite’s the dust…
I like AA as well, and like you, I simply can’t see him winning. I wonder what all the Fedor detractors will say when he beats Arlovski convincingly? They’ll come up with some lame excuse as to why he shouldn’t be #1. They always do.
yeah, it’s too bad chef, AA is one of my favorites, but unfortunately has never recovered from getting ko’d by big Tim!
Have you noticed you and I are on this site all hours of the day now? lol. I know you have the back and layoff. My work went under, and I’ve been hangin’ out for 3 weeks now. Trying to keep from getting back to the long hours of the restaurant biz (had Lemaire give me an offer, google it), and trying to keep from going corporate again. what’s a chef to do? lol
What are you talking about “never recovered from getting knocked out by big Tim” he’s won several fights since then and he wasn’t even knocked cold in that fight his loss to Pedro Rizzo was a lot worse.
What he means by never recovered is that AA looks different, not as aggressive, trepidatious (?) even. He no longer looks to have that killer instinct, and seems to fight with the VERY conscious knowledge he could get KO’ed again. At least that’s what I thought he meant.
he has been a lot more cautious since he got KO’d.
yeah chef, I’m loving life. I was going to go back to work after thanksgiving, but I’m getting 600 a week cash, and been averaging over a 1000 a week gambling. I;m already up 2k in the last 2 days. Only bad thing is my sons home, so no poker for next 5 days until school goes back in!
what r you gonna do? got something lined up?
didnt u guys see his fight in affliction? he was all over his rothwell and knocked him out in the third! how can u not call that killer instinct?
I have a “mystery box” test next week down in Norfolk for this one company. It’s corporate, so I’m NOT excited. But it’s great pay, weird hours (5:30 a.m. to 3:30or 4). If I took it I wouldn’t be able to go to the gym anymore and I’d have to be in bed by 9 (I’d have to leave my house at 5, it’s on the other side of town). So not sure what I’m going to do, but thankfully I’m in a position where I don’t have to take the first job that comes along. Corporate=cr@p food +good pay=good hours. Private restaurants=great food+creativity+ok pay+sh*t hours. LOL, hard to decide.
brendan, did you see his fight against Big Country? He looked many things, aggressive/impressive were NOT among them.
I thought the same thing when I read Brendan’s post!.
Good luck chef, I’m a food guy myself, my wife and son went out to applebees last night (by themselves) and I had a rib eye! Chains don’t do it for me (elephant bar is an exception), I would prefer a private restaurant that is a tad more money but the food is fresh and presentation is a must!! I used to be a connoisseur of good wine too…I miss that the most about drinking, a nice red wine with my dinner! Now it’s a great cigar after!
LOL. NOT that kind of corporate!!!! I’d eat a bullet before I worked at an AppleTGIRubyMcBennigan’s! It’ll be with a company called Compass Group/Eurest division. Not much better, but I’d be running one of their accounts.
gotcha, but you know what I mean when talking great food/good food and mediocre food!
Yeah, some people are just ridiculous. “Fedor isn’t the best fighter, he just fights cans!!!!”, or “He has to be in the UFC to prove he’s the best!!!!” Get the fuck outta here with all that. Fedor is the best fighter in the world until someone proves otherwise. People need to check the resume, and think before they talk about how Fedor’s best competition would be in the UFC. I’m sure if he wins the detractors will be talking about how AA lost to Sylvia blah blah blah trying to connect apples with oranges. Fedor has always been a badass and a respectful person, no need for the hate.
Guys don’t recover from AA power. When he hits you flush,it’s lights out. Fedor’s chin isn’t that good. Fedor hasn’t lost, because he hasn’t fought someone like AA. This will be Fedor’s toughest fight, by far.
Oh man this card/match is starting to look better and better. For some reason now I really want to see Fedor vs. Arlovski.
What happened “zzzzzz” did you pass out for the past month and had no idea?
I hope arlovski wins I’m tired of these invincible fighters, I also want to see the spider go down. It would be awesome if the pit bull could pull it off, but the odds don’t favor it.
This match could go either way ,Fedor is not unbeatable contrary to what a lot of people seem to think.If Arlovski is not scared ,like he looked in the 2 and 3 Silvia fight,Arlovski will shock the MMA world.Arlovski’s strikes are better than Fedor’s.Fedor is better all around ,but all it takes is one shot to the chin and it’s over and Fedor is no longer best P4P fighter in the world.
Yeah scott Fedor isn’t unbeatable he’s lost so many times.Ask Tim Sylvia whose strikes are better Fedor or Arlovski he said he never had been hit as hard by a fighter after his fight with Fedor.Arlovski’s only shot is to open a cut on Fedor and having the fight stopped.
If I got beat as embarassingly as Timmeh did, I’d be sayin the guy that did it was the baddest thing walkin the planet too.
Arlovski is the underdog, but it’s not by as wide a margin as most of you think. Most of the time I’m reading posts on here, and I just hear gagging sounds, cause you all have Fedors balls in your throat.
Fedor is good, but he can and will be beat eventually. Nobody thought Faber was gonna lose to Brown, and he got owned. Who saw Serra beating GSP? Not many people gave Forrest a chance in his fight with Rampage.
Arlovski can win. Will he, I think it’ll be close either way it goes. This will be Fedors toughest fight in a long time. Fedor has always considered Cro Cop to be his toughest opponent. That may chance.
Yeah Fedor will be beat when he’s past his prime.Arlovski is good no question he’s a top 10 heavyweight but he won’t be able to stop Fedor from getting a bodylock taking him down and either submitting him or a Ground and Pound stoppage.You saw how Big Country got Arlovski down and had him in side control if Fedor gets that dominant position it’s over.
i got arlovski in this one,and spider losing to demian maia or however you say that guys name
“Arlovski is the underdog, but it’s not by as wide a margin as most of you think.”
CRAIG, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ODDS TO THIS FIGHT?
“Is there any cultural rivalry that exists since between the two of you, just because he’s Russian, and you’re Belorussian?”
NO, there is not. Basically Russians and Belorussians are the same group of people. In fact “Belo” means “white” and rusian means Russian so basically word Belorusian means “white Russian”
Now that you mention it, I am kind of thirsty.
Oh, good grief. lol
lol arlovski completely ignored that question… but! while there may not seem to be much tension between belorussia and russia, keep in mind that belorussia was annexed by russia in 1939 and then proceeded to lose a third of its population in WWII… it is still now under Soviet-era policies so i believe belarussians are probably a little bitter towards their russian neighbors
who told you this crap? Belorusia was part of Russian Empire for years. it was annexed by russia in 1939? lol. it was waaay before that when bolorusia had joined the soviet union. It’s now under Soviet ere policies? Soviet Union broke up 17 years ago, dumbass.
lol at your history lesson dummy
ppl from the country belarus are called belarussians ok..
The final unification of modern borders was in 1939. Before that it lacked some national identity b/c it’s lands were divided among several countries. WHOOOOOOO!!!!! Wikipedia B*tches!
whos the dummy now zheka?
you are, that 1939 unification (as wikipedia puts it) was some border movement back and forth while belorusia was still part of the S.U.
so because the soviet union is broken up means countries cant imitate their policies in their own countries? think about that for a second…
f*ck politics! This is MMA! The Belarussian pitbull could bite the Russian Emperor here.
i think of all heavyweights out there arlovski has the best chance against fedor, fedor is better in most areas, but AA isnt far behind, we have seen arlovski defend shots from great wrestlers so im expecting this fight to stay standing. we seen fedor knock out great fighters but none had ko power close to AA. probably cro cop but it was a close fight, this one will be sweet.
im rooting for Arlovski
that way he can return to ufc and fight brock
I agree. I dont see Fedor being strong enough to get AA down, the only way would be to catch AA and obviously with his hand speed Fedor couldn’t definitely drop AA but keeping him down will be a task. AA is also very good in Sambo and BJJ and I think submitting Arlovski will be a very tough task indeed. I’m gonna go with the upset and pick the Pitbull to win by 3rd Rd TKO.
I think this could go similarly to the CC and Fedor fight, AA is a good striker, adn I think he is good enough and has the speed and foot work to avoid danger if he has to, which wont be exciting on his part, but could work to prolong his life in there.
Hey Adam &/or Mania, whats up with Andrei not answering the whole Belarusian vs. Russian cultural rivalry question??? Is that a typo or did Andrei just bullshit that question? It doesn’t even make any sense.
how can you not see arlovski winning? he is the underdog but he’s bigger, has superior striking, and is also a sambo standout who has NEVER been submitted.
Its Belarus, not Belorussia. Nice history lesson though.
He was a Junior Sambo Champion… That is nowhere in the same ballpark as a 5 time World Combat Sambo champion. (This year bronze) Hell its not even the same sport. There are no chokes allowed in Sport Sambo which is what AA did. AA’s best chance is Fedor is unprepared from shooting that movie in Thailand and comes to the fight not 100%. I do see this as a dangerous fight for Fedor but if Fedor gets AA to the ground he will sub him or KO him via vicious GnP
Like he did to the MUCH inferior (no ground game and smaller) Cro Cop.
Skwirrl, I think u got a pretty good perspective on the fight, it’s very possible Arlovski will keep his distance and strike like he did with Werdum or Silvia and extend the fight to later rounds. Fedor’s not dumb, he’s not going to bum rush Arlovski… CroCop gave Fedor a tough fight once upon a time. I can see Arloski employing a similar tactic, but not winning the fight, He’s got a suspect chin and it weighs on his conscious.
His chin is gonna be protected by his beard, hopefully. Hehe!
Arlovski looks like a star and fights like a star! I think the UFC should pay up after this fight and offer him a big contract then push his name more than the last time he was in the UFC that would be good business!
AA by unanimous decision! He’s got superior striking and footwork!
By footwork – do you mean he would be able to pull Kalib Starnes on Fedor?
no he means that footwork is the most important thing in striking, because it is.. just look at Anderson Silva
I just can’t see Andre pulling this fight off. If he was scared to stand and trade with Tim Silvia in their 3rd fight, than how in hell is he going to stand and trade with a guy who beat the piss out of Silvia in 36 seconds? And, there is no way he would last on the ground with Fedor. Even with Andre’s sambo background (which is nowhere near Fedors), on the ground he is toast.
Striking – advantage Fedor (based on AA’s recent timidness since the KO loss to Tim)
Clinch – I’d say 60/40 advantage for Fedor
Takedowns – advantage Fedor
Ground game – not even close…advantage Fedor
Fedor all the way in this one boys and girls.
his recent timidness? are you fuckin serious? why don’t you ask jake o’brien or ben rothwell or roy nelson about his timidness.
Meh….those guys would get KTFO by Big Tim. Not even in the same class as Tim or Fedor in stand-up.
I agree that AA has looked much better since the AA/Tim 3 snooze-fest, but he also took a big step down in competition with O’brien, Rothwell and Nelson. It’s how he handles top-tier competition that will tell the story, and his last fight against a top-tier guy was Tim….and he shit the bed.
I’m a fan of AA’s, and am happy he’s back in the mix of top level guys, but banging with lower level guys is a HUGE difference than Fedor or Tim, and those fights are really no judge for how he will be against someone he’s an underdog against.
it’s true though!! he’s been timid ever since Timmy ko’d him!! thats just fact!!!!
jake o’brien or ben rothwell or roy nelson were NOT UFC champions; Timmay was
you forget that andrei beat tim just as fast as fedor did!!! he got caught the second time right after knocking tim on his ass and ALMOST knocking him out. the third fight and the werdum fight were weak sauce, but he is back. yes, o’brien is a scrub but rothwell was coming off of 13 straight wins and nelson had never been stopped in his entire career. you act like if someone hasn’t been UFC champion, then he’s not dangerous. you’ll see come january 24th.
If Fedor were to fight Tim, Werdum, Rothwell and Nelson back to back, all in the same night….Fedor would probably still be the bookmakers favourite.
I rest my case.
AA’s in for a beatdown.
Striking: clear advantage for Arlovski superior technique and movement
Physique: advantage Arlovski
Speed: Arlovski
his takedown defense is one of the absolute best in the game! this fight can go either way, just because Fedor beat Tim Sylvia doesn’t mean that his striking is better, because it isn’t he’s just got great power and were just much faster than Timmay..
They were on big winning streaks and Timmy was on a LOSING skid. Nelson would crush Timmy.
fedor before sylvia = arguably the best HW
fedor after sylvia = holy %$@#!. but could couture have a say?
fedor after couture vs. lesnar = best heavy on the planet. at least for the forseeable future. no doubt.
Fedor will at least be -300 and maybe any where up to -450.
arlovski looked like a fish out of water when nelson put him on his back passed to side control and was working for a kimura you could see the concern on his face
fedors game plan will probably be to get andrie down and finish him with what ever submission he feels like pulling off
I dont know why but I see Arlovski pullin a rabbit out the hat on this one … Fedor is the man no doubt butI just got a feeling the Pitbull will land a big shot and end it
Man Im so tired of ignorant people being so damn dense on Fedor, is it by choice or are you truely that stupid ??? Things like ” Fedor hasnt fought any top level fighters (lately) ” Fedor could take 5 years off and still come in and whip azz as long as his training continues which it has !! Also what the hell is top level to most of you brain washed UFC fans ??? 16-9 like cotoure ??? is that the kind of top level Fedor has to fight ? Lets get one thing straight, if Fedor isnt fighting top level fighters its because your so called top level fighters dont want to fight him, thats how bad Fedor is and every fighter in the industry sees it and knows it, those who dont…well you see what happens to them. The whole cotoure / fedor fight was never going to happen, it was a smoke screen for publicity, Hell randy dodged Nog and he cant play the smoke screen game when the mans in the same franchise thats why he avoids him and never brings him up. Bottom line is though, STFU with all this Fedor has fought this guy or that guy or any real top level fighters…The mans beat the best, he is the best by far and thats why he has trouble fighting top level fighters, they dont care to add a almost for sure loss to their record. Fedor isnt hiding, hes not dodging, his people dont set up smoke screens, you want to see him fight top level ( as if he werent ) then put word out that the top level fighters need to step up, fighter cant fight what doesnt show !!!
Couldn’t of said it better myself, thank you Chad.
Fighter can`t fight what doesn`t show!!! LOL The fighters Fedor has fought show I don`t think so. If he took 5 years off and came back to fight the fighters he has lately you might just be right Chad their records show!!!
AA and Fedor will be killa! As for Dayna White…trying to bait Fedor in by saying he aint fought nobody…he dont fight on a constant basis to be called best HW fighter in the world…etc Thats BULL AND HE KNOWS IT! He has the best Light Heavyweight in the world SHELVED just so he can milk his audience until his Light heavys dull out. Machida HAS BEEN and IS the best Light Heavyweight he’s got. Made Tito look like an idiot just b4 he beat him…beat the trap out of Ritch Franklin for a KO win..and Outclassed BJ PENN!!!
Yeah Dana…Instead of trying to con Fedor into signing your lame ass “I’m Dana White I now own you” UFC contracts…how about Affliction (or as u like to call him the T-Shirt Guy) buying out the heavyweights over there who want to fight the BEST! One being FEDOR. ALL Fighters lose the UFC and come to AFFLICTION!!!
Fedor the Great!!! Check out his last four fights in MMA
1)Tim Sylvia his last 5 fights besides Fedor = 3wins 2losses
notable wins in last 5 = Arlovski, Losses Nogueira and Couture
2)Hong Man MMA recor 1 Win 2 losses
Also lost to Bobby Ologun? His other loss was Cro Cop Dec 31st 2008 **what a stud
3) Matt Lindland weight 185LBs last five fights besides Fedor
4 wins 1 loss Notable wins none losses Q.Jackson
4)mark Hunt last five besides Fedor 2 wins 3 losses
Notable wins none losses Overeem
Next match
Arlovski 5 and 0 in his last five most notable was Ben Rothwell his last last loss was to Tim Sylvia twice in 06
Please answer me this Out of his last four fights would any of them be ranked in the top 5 or even the top 10…..how about top 20?! And is Arvloski really ranked in the top 5? how that happen??? How can a fighter be ranked #1 when he hasn’t faced #2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or…you get the point. To be the best you have to beat the best period and all Fedor has done was avoid the best lately. I would pay to see Fedor fight a true top 5 opponent but I’ll wait to see this fight on you tube. I think he has the talent to beat the top modern day UFC heavy weights but I also thought the same on Cro Cop.
The best football player’s are in the NFL, The best hockey players are in the NHL, baseball players MLB, The best fighters are in the UFC period. Fedor might be the best outside the UFC. Remember the worl football league? Affliction is MMA’s version anybody want to watch HongMan vs Matt Lindland as the main card?! LOL I didn’t think so. Just like the World Football League’s champ, Fedor can be Affliction’s.
UFC has all the great fighters except at the heavyweight level. UFC has failed to keep the heavyweights and are alienating a lot of other fighters. The problem with the UFC is that they feel they are the only place for fighters to go. But, Affliction is pulling out a very respectable card highlighted by AA/Fedor. It does help when you have the financial backing of Trump, Golden Boy Productions, etc. I think Affliction can only do this twice a year until they get more fighters.
It still boggles my mind that people are so blind. Saying that Fedor will lose because of lack of competition or inferior ability shows how little you people know about the art of boxing. Just watch Fedor’s past fights. He’s a beast. Pound for pound the best fighter in the world. Anderson Silva and GSP are great, but Fedor is absolutely ridiculous. Trust me, I’m a UFC fan and was skeptical of Fedor. But after watching his fights, I don’t see how any intelligent person can even be skeptical of Fedor.
well 1st round ko of a.a by the hardest hittin sob in mma.FEDOR is a bad man!!!!!!!!!!