Arlovski: I have to show a great fight

Andrei Arlovski has been fighting for 18 years, and has seen mighty heights and depths. In his very first fight, he lost to Datsik. the craziest man in the sport’s crazy history.

Three fights and wins later, he was in the UFC, where he started 1-2. Then he won six in a row, becoming the UFC interim heavyweight champion and defending it successfully twice.

Then he got beaten by Tim Sylvia, twice. That was in 2006, over a decade ago.

Arlovski bounced back winning six a row. Then he lost four in a row. Then he joined Jackson-Wink MMA and went 10-1 with one No Contest.

In the last 18 months, Arlovski has lost four in a row, to a murderers’ row of Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, and Francis Ngannou. Now 38, Arlovski fights Marcin Tybura in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 111 on Saturday. He trained for this fight in Florida.

I lost four fights and I have to show that I’m not done yet, said Arlovski to Fernanda Prates and John Morgan for MMAjunkie. I have to show a great fight – a memorable fight for my fans, for the UFC. One hundred percent, I promise I’ll leave everything inside the Octagon on Saturday night.

First, of course, I have to be in shape. And I have to be smart about my workouts. And I was surprised because my workouts in Florida – between two and three, three and a half hours. During a workout with my kickboxing coach, I changed like six, seven T-shirts every session.

Hopefully, I learned something new. I just have to be smart Saturday night and stick with my game plan. Because Tybura, no doubt – first of all, he’s young. He has a great kickboxing skill. So we’ll see.

I’m not in the position right now to pick my opponents. Of course I want to fight some, I don’t know, top-5 fighters. But I’m fighting for the UFC. The UFC decided I have to fight Tybura in Singapore.”