Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski was scheduled to face Josh Barnett in the main event of Affliction's Day of Reckoning show Oct. 11, but slow ticket sales caused the event to be postponed. This news came as a disappointment to many, from fans looking forward to that fight to the fighters themselves who were already in preparations.
|
|
| Arlovski could steal the show vs. Roy Nelson. (CBSSports.com) |
The deal is a winner for all parties involved. EliteXC adds a fight that can help the all-important rating for the show. Affliction gets one of its top fighters featured in front of a large television audience. Fans get what should be an exciting fight between two unique heavyweight contenders. And Arlovski himself gets to fight, gets paid and doesn't lose the training he already put in for Barnett.
"Of course I was disappointed when the fight with Josh Barnett was cancelled, because I was spending seven weeks in preparation for that," Arlovski says. "But I'm a professional fighter and stuff like this can happen. I feel good and I am excited about the fight with Roy Nelson. I already trained for Barnett and I changed my strategy a little bit. I thank CBS for the opportunity to be on mainstream TV and it's great."
Arlovski won the UFC heavyweight title in 2005, and quickly became one of the most feared fighters in the sport. With a menacing scowl, long hair and a fang mouthpiece, Arlovski looked the part of a fighting werewolf. His strikes backed up that menace, and Arlovski ran up a series of knockout wins over seemingly overmatched opponents. After a pair of setbacks against Tim Sylvia, Arlovski won his last three UFC fights.
Arlovski signed a big-money contract with Affliction and faced tough Ben Rothwell in his first Affliction fight. Rothwell rode a 13-fight winning streak into his bout with Arlovski, but couldn't match Arlovski's aggression. Arlovski turned in one of the most impressive performances of his entire career, badly bloodying Rothwell with strikes and finishing him in the third round.
It remains to be seen whether Arlovski's fight with Nelson will have the same tempo and style as the fight with Rothwell. Nelson has shown a willingness to engage standing in the past, but in interviews prior to this fight he has suggested he might try to test Arlovski's ground game instead.
Arlovski is confident either way.
"I saw his fights and he likes to strike," Arlovski notes. "I think our fight will be on the feet. But if he wants to wrestle, I spend a lot of time in the gym with my wrestling. I feel pretty comfortable on the ground if that's where it goes."
Arlovski feels that he is better now than at any other point in his career, and his dominant performance against Rothwell suggests that may well be true.
"Before in the UFC and Europe I just trained a lot in sambo and kickboxing," Arlovski notes. "Right now I focus on boxing, jiu jitsu, sambo, wrestling and kickboxing. I'm growing in all of those things. Every day I learn something new. My trainers find me something new to use, and I feel very happy about this."
Arlovski has put great emphasis on preparing under world-class trainers. He enlisted the help of premier boxing trainer Freddie Roach prior to his fight with Rothwell and trained another three weeks with Roach in Los Angeles afterward in preparation for what at that point he thought would be a fight with Barnett. Arlovski also vouches strongly for his trainers in adopted hometown Chicago.
"I have a great boxing coach who trains me in Chicago," Arlovski says. "Freddie Roach is an idol of boxing. Michael Garcia shows me a lot of good stuff and Freddie shows me good combinations. I have great trainers: Freddie Roach, Michael Garcia and the best coaches on the ground as well."
EliteXC's third CBS show will draw its rating mostly based on Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice, the most heavily promoted fighters on the show. But it is Arlovski, who combines a marketable look and style with world-class skills, who could generate the most discussion coming out of the show.
Todd Martin has covered mixed martial arts for the Los Angeles Times, Wrestling Observer, SI.com and CBSSports.com. He can be reached at ToddMartin4L@aol.com.
