Historians figure to remember Andrei Arlovski fondly whenever he decides to hang up the gloves. One of the most successful heavyweights in mixed martial arts history, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder will face Ben Rothwell in a UFC on ESPN 4 showcase this Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The 40-year-old Belarusian has compiled a 27-18 record in a remarkable career that now stretches across more than two decades. Arlovski last appeared at UFC Fight Night 150 on April 27, when he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Augusto Sakai.
As “The Pit Bull” prepares for his rematch with Rothwell, a man he defeated by knockout in 2008, here are five things you should know about him.
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Arlovski
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1. Statistics back up his relevance.
The FightMetric leaderboard for UFC heavyweights features Arlovski’s name quite prominently. He ranks first in total fight time (4:18:13), second in knockdowns landed (10), third in significant strikes landed (824), fifth in total strikes landed (1,083), fifth in takedown defense (.803) and eighth in submission attempts (five).
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2. He can handle business in a hurry.
Now operating out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, Arlovski has 13 first-round finishes to his credit. They account for nearly half of his career win total and include 13-, 15-, 47- and 55-second stoppages.
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3. His passport has gotten a workout.
Arlovski has fought in 10 different countries as a professional mixed martial artist: United States, Russia, Singapore, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Belarus, Philippines and England.
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4. He has staying power.
Only Donald Cerrone (32), Jim Miller (32), Demian Maia (30), Diego Sanchez (30) and Jeremy Stephens (30) have more appearances under the UFC banner than Arlovski (29).
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5. He played a significant role in the story of a tumultuous division.
Arlovski is one of 16 men to have held the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship. Mark Coleman, Maurice Smith, Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Kevin Randleman, Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier are the others.
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