Legendary UFC heavyweight, Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski, is proof that you can play the game well into your later years, if you’re willing to learn, change, and adapt. At 43-years-old, Arlovski stepped in the cage to face the 29-year-old Jared Vanderaa at UFC 271 Saturday night and he walked out with his 33rd professional win.
Arlovski came out in the first round showing fantastic footwork and possibly better movement than he had 20 years ago. He threw combinations and consistently found a home with his overhand right. Vanderaa was no slouch though, and fired a lot of leg kicks, trying to slow down Arlovski. But the veteran Belarussian fighter just kept moving laterally and finished the round with a spinning back kick that landed right in Vanderaa’s gut.
The second round featured Arlovski’s overhand right that he landed repeatedly. Vanderaa countered one of those with a big right hook of his own and it looked like Arlovski felt it, but even as the fight progressed past the halfway point, Arlovski appeared to be the faster and fresher looking fighter. At one point he threw a quick left head kick followed by a straight right cross that forced Vanderaa backwards, but Vanderaa regrouped, and pushed Arlovski up against the cage, landing some knees to Arlovski’s thighs while in the clinch.
Vanderaa came out with a lot of urgency at the beginning of the third round and while he was the aggressor, Arlovski remained composed, and continued to fire that overhand right that had landed so many times in the previous rounds. Vanderaa got Arlovski up against the fence again and landed some knees, but it wasn’t going to be enough. The fight went to the judge’s and Arlovski won a very close split decision.
Arlovski is a MILLIONS athlete and you can ask him anything and you’ll receive a Personal Video response. You can follow his historic fight story by keeping an eye on the MILLIONS blog. And you can also follow Arlovski on Instagram @andreiarlovski.