UFC is no longer interested in Andrei Arlovski
Of all the fighters to recently exit the UFC, Andrei Arlovski was the guy that Dana White stated he was not pleased to see depart.
Back in December 2008 when asked about Arlovski, White said, “In nine years, there’s only one fighter that I’ve lost that I didn’t want to lose.”
However, after recording two straight defeats to Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, Arlovski is no longer high on the UFC’s shopping list.
“Now, he’s had a couple of bad performances,” said White. “He’s got to get back in the mix and win.”
White also had some advice for his former employee.
“Sometimes, we make bad career decisions. I think leaving the UFC was a bad career decision for him.”
Should Arlovski get his career back on track, he would seem to have a chance to return to promotion that made him famous. White still has appreciation for Arlovski the person if not his current win-loss record.
“I like Andre,” said White. “I don’t dislike him. He’s a nice guy.”
However, with Affliction MMA’s recent demise, the opportunities for “nice guys” has certainly taken a serious hit.
Gary Herman is a writer for FiveOuncesOfPain.com. He is also a contributing writer to CBSSports.com. He has made
multiple appearances on "Inside
MMA" as well as the Ferrall Show. His work also appears on 15rounds.com.
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Well considering Affliction being gone and losing to Brett Rogers in Strikeforce, the only other option for Arlovski to make any decent money is Dream. I don’t see why the UFC wouldn’t pick Arlovski back up. Had he lost twice in the Octagon to two tough oponents like that, he would certainly still be in the mix and given another chance. I think he has a place in the UFC today.
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Im sure Arlovski will be back in the UFC in the near future. With tuff featuring heavyweights and all of the interest in Brock etc… as many name heavyweights as there are to bring in Im sure the UFC will get them.
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I think and hope so to. It’s comical I made mention of this earlier, and not there is a story about it.
Thanks for the update, Gary. We appreciate it.
I thought Andrei was crazy when he left, but he ultimately went where the money (short-term) was. He got to fight Fedor, but look what happenes. It’s the Fedor Curse. Once Fedor beats you, your GUARANTEED to get KO’d in your next outing.
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UFC isn’t interested in picking up a guy coming off 2 losses. Difficult to promote effectively.
Also AA’s pay scale. Last fight with Fedor, he made $1.5M. Dana does not want to pay that kind of money for a fighter that has lost quite a few fights recently. Can’t remember if he had an other losses but had 2 in a row (I think) vs. Big Tim a while ago too. Dana’s not going to pay somebody with that kind of record more than $80/$80K and after a $1.5M payday, the math just doesn’t work.
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It’s the Fedor Curse. Once Fedor beats you, your GUARANTEED to get KO’d in your next outing.
im gonna have to look into that, now i get to spend the day looking up mma records!
if the ufc let cro cop back in, surely they gotta let andrei back in. thatd be great fight between the two also
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Damn typoes! YOU’RE guaranteed. There. I feel better.
I don’t know how far back it actually goes, but I know it’s true for Tim and Andrei. Just weird, that’s all. It’s been a joke floating around for a while now.
AA will never get the paydays he had in Affliction, and I think he knows that. That’s something he has to understand. I think he’ll ultimately make more with the UFC though. I’d just hate to see him go to Strikeforce.
A fighter should never go down in promotions. THEN it looks bad.
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The Fedor curse is true. He hits you so hard, all logic is cleared out.
As much as I love Fedor, I am beginning to fear he has knocked out M1 management. I hope they continue to put him with great fights in the future.
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“I don’t see why the UFC wouldn’t pick Arlovski back up. Had he lost twice in the Octagon to two tough oponents like that, he would certainly still be in the mix and given another chance.”
Arlovski was supposed to steamroll Rogers. His loss was embarrassing.
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He could pick up a few wins in Japan no problem, But I am curious if he is still going forward with his boxing career.
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“He could pick up a few wins in Japan no problem, But I am curious if he is still going forward with his boxing career.”
God, I hope not.
With a chin as weak as his, he’ll need years and YEARS of boxing training to build up enough defense to compensate.
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I would still pay to see him fight cro cop any day. Two great strikers two questionable chins equal one great ko
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Feed Kimbo to Arlovski!
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I guess I’m the minority here. I like Arlovski, and I think he is still capable of giving us some exciting fights.
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I am with you on that Ozz, I think he is still a great fighter, with a solid all around game. Maybe if he used his sambo a little more and did not rely on his stand up as much he would be right back on top. he is a good athlete and young enough to still be able to adapt his fighting style.
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You’re not the minority Ozz, I am with you 100%. I’ve said it before, he wasn’t the #2 ranked HW in the world for nothing. He has a lot of talent. I hate what has happened to him lately. He was and still is one of my favorite fighters to watch. I think the UFC should jump on him, just lower the price tag. I’m sure he wouldn’t agree to it, but damn it, that’s what I want.
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I think the price tag is going to HAVE to be lowered given the recent past. I really wanted to get on the Rogers train with everyone, but after the KO of Arlovski, he just put a bad taste in my mouth. Well, that and me and his trainer trading barbs on here a few days ago. No doubt Rogers has skill, but “we take his wrestling too lightly.” Really? Brock TKO’d Randy and Mir. His wrestling NULLIFIED Mir’s JJ. What the hell can Rogers bring to the table?
Anyways, there I go again getting off on another tangent. I’ll save it for the next time a story comes up about Rogers. Or when another Carwin story about honor and being a champion comes up.
Who knows. Arlovski may or may not be a contender for the belt ever again. But I would sure pay money each time he fought to see him try.
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I’m not on the Brett Rogers train either. I never liked him and then to see him KO one of my favorite fighters, that did it. I’m not saying I don’t respect him as a fighter, but that doesn’t mean I have to be a fan.
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AT present the only thing rogers can do is catch Brock with a big punch. Like I said earlier though we just havnt seen him use any other skills besides his hands and a very good sprawl. If he has submissions or a good gnp we will see but for now I am really impressed with him, and how he did not go overboard after the win over Arlovski was nice to see. The biggest win in his career and he was very humble, very nice to see.
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Arlovski is probably 1 or 2 wins away from getting back in UFC, if he even wants to. I think fights against guys like Monson, Bigfoot, or even Ricco Rodriguez (He is a name opponent) could help get him back on the right track. He has talent, and I agree with the others that he needs to use his Sambo more to protect his chin. We also have to look at the fact that his lights have been seriously turned out a few times, and he just made a ton of money over the last few years, so who knows how much he wants to fight right now.
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I think Arlovski is a heavyweight version of GSP, such a gifted athlete that I belive if he set his mind to it he could become very good at any dicipline he wanted.
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His two losses aren’t the only reasons for UFC’s indifference. After his two losses to Sylvia, he wasn’t the same. In his subsequent fights he was tentative and seemed afraid to engage. Lackluster is the word I’d use.
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Ricco would be a good fight too. Because it would be rematch for Arlovski to try and avenge.
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I think AA would tear Ricco up now, but you made a great point Angry Mike he seemed very tentative after his first loss to Sylvia, and tore up werdum in round 1 of that fight the hit the brakes, it took him until the win over Rothwell to really look great. This is just one more reason to belive the theory that MMA is 90% mental and 10% physical.
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Well, usually it’s the norm to be a bit skiddish and “lackluster” after you got to sleep involuntarily.
Agreed he needs to sharpen his game and in a way, re-invent himself. He could really be a monster though if he wanted to.
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He is still a monster, but he could be even better, remember how easily he subbed Sylvia, why not use that more????
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I think alot of the problem stems from wanting to please the crowd. I think thats where Wanderlei may have started to go wrong. Wandy is, by far, my favorite fighter ever, and I will cheer him even in defeat. I just think that when a fighter begins to cater to what the fans want, it all goes downhill from there.
thoughts?
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MMA isnt boxing that is AA downfall. To much time with Freddy Roach and not enough training a ground game. OZZ your dead on with the crowd pleaseing.
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Good point ozz, look at Sherk’s loss to Frank Edgar, if he had used his wrestling I think he wins that fight, instead he thinks he needs to stand and fight. Exhibit B, is Jorge Gurgel, a Brazilian Blackbelt, who thinks he is a striker, and what did it get him, a quick exit out of UFC. I think Kos has fallen into this as well, I’m a proponent of Dance with the one who brought you. As Pat Barry says “Everyone thinks they are a striker, until they get hit by a real striker”
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Hey OZZ I see your boy Creduer is fighting Quarry in Sept. Tat looks like a tough fight for him, but as we have seen he looks game for anything.
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I had to stop talking about Fedor I think its giving me a headache
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That might be the worst picture of Arlovski I’ve ever seen.
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OMG that picture is HORRIBLE
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That is a horrible picture. Kind of creepy actually. I can’t blame the UFC for not being interested in AA anymore. I can’t say that I’m all that interested anymore either. I guess he can continue to make good footage for Knockout highlight reels though. Best Knockout shows are always fun to watch. At the rate he is going, soon there will be one all with AA getting knocked to the canvas.
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It looks like hes naked under that belt.
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Honestly, I thought Arlovski had the best chance of beating Fedor to date. He tried to get fancy and got not just caught, but bludgeoned by an out of nowhere Fedor bomb. He was working him pretty good too, until that moment.
Personally, I’d like to see a rematch. Wether you guys think it’s warranted or not, I think that fight had, and still has, a lot of potential. I still believe in the guy. I still think that fire is there.
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Yep me too. Exactly why I was calling for him to replace Barnett.
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picture’s fixed, lol
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Haha now thats better.
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THAT’S THE ARLOVSKI I KNOW!!!!
Thanks Cory!!!
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I think Arlovski is a great fighter that doesn’t duck top ranked heavyweights or feared up and comers. I respect andrei for that, he has proven to be an excellent fighter in the past. Brett Rogers is on a terror as of late, and I think he can knock just about anyones head off at this point. I think Brett MIGHT have some trouble on the ground but thats about it. You can’t get on Arlovski’s case for losing to Fedor that’s insane.
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i think he got spoiled with his high pay for fights just like brandon vera. ufc started to pay vera less and he lookd great taking out micheal patt with leg kicks in his last fight. i think they should do the same with arlovski
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I know Arlovski has gotten KOd in his past two fights, but I would still like to see him in the UFC. He looked good against Fedor up until he got KOd. Its not like the UFCs HW division is so stacked they can pick and choose really. It is by far their weakest division.
Maybe after a few more wins Dana will change his mind.
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“Maybe after a few more wins Dana will change his mind.”
He already changed his mind earlier in the Year he said the only guy I’ve regretted losing in the 8 years he’s been in this business was Arlovski.
Now he available and he’s not interested. So much for how much he regretted losing him.
I’m always interested in watching a Andrei Arlovski fight. Weak chin or not you’d think he’ll be a hot commodity but he’s still probably asking for a lot of money even after back to back losses.
Sylvia on the other hand might come at a big bargain after being humbled by 48 year old Ray Mercer. He probably just wants to get back to fighting again to redeem himself.
As much as he comes across as a big oaf who wants to be loved by the fans he’s still a quality heavyweight. I mean let’s face it it’s by far the most talent starved division in all of MMA.
I’d like to see that Sylvia/Buentello fight that was originally planned for Affliction but was scrapped after Tim was knocked on his ass by Mercer.
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i dont know why so many people claim that arlovski has a glass chin. He lost to ricco when he was in his prime and rizzo was knocking everyone out at the time. He lost to sylvia in his prime and really lost to Fedor because of a stupid mistake on his behalf. As for brett rogers call me an idiot but I really believe he has more power in his hands than anybody else in the whole division. I think people are too hard on arlovski. i’d still pay to see arlovski fight. To bad the ufc didn’t want him back i would really love to see him face crocop, That would be awsome.
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