The Port Arthur News
February 23, 2008 08:44 pm
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Two years ago, Andrei Arlovski stood atop the UFC's food chain. He got there by plowing through the UFC heavyweight division with an impressive six fight win streak spanning over three years.
Five of these wins were knockouts and the remaining one was an Achilles lock submission over then heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia.
Although Arlovski is versed in the ex-Soviet grappling martial art of Sambo (English translation, "self-defense without a weapon"), it was his striking that made him a fan favorite. He's regarded as being one of the top five best heavyweight fighters in the world.
So why has Arlovski been demoted to the non-aired preliminary bouts at the upcoming UFC 82 event on March 1st?
There appears to be two reasons - fighting style and corporate strategy.
About two years ago, Arlovski's winning streak came to a screeching halt when he got knocked out in a rematch with Tim Sylvia. Since that fight, Arlovski hasn't been the same fighter.
Once a predator in the Octagon, his fighting style became more timid, as if that knockout affected his psyche. Two of his subsequent fights were uninspiring decisions, a far cry from the old knockout Arlovski that fans grew to love.
The UFC is pushing for exciting fights for fans and they feel that Andrei Arlovski hasn't delivered lately.
Corporate strategy comes into play too. Andrei Arlovski's UFC fight contract is up after this fight. His manager has been in talks with rival MMA organizations like HDNet Fights, Mark Cuban's up-and-coming promotion.
After Andrei made an appearance on HDNet's "Inside MMA" program, the UFC demoted him off the main fight card at UFC 82 and put him in the prelims.
This appearance by Arlovski on Mark Cuban's network may have been seen as a defection by the UFC, so it appears they are not going to air his upcoming fight. There's no need for the UFC to expose Arlovski to more viewers only to see him jump ship to a new rival.
If Arlovski re-signed a contract extension with the UFC, you could almost guarantee he would be on the main fight card.
UFC 83's main event features a man who's one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world, middleweight champion Anderson “the Spider" Silva. He's fighting current PRIDE champion, Dan "Hollywood" Henderson, a crafty veteran who actually has a good chance of defeating Silva.
Henderson has no quit in him so expect Anderson Silva to have his hands full in this five round title unification championship bout.
Perhaps the most intriguing bout on the main card involves the return of a veteran UFC warrior. Former UFC middleweight champion and native Texan, Evan Tanner will be making his return to the Octagon after a two year hiatus.
He'll be going up against Yushin Okami, a skilled Japanese fighter who hangs his hat on overpowering his opponents with his ground and pound style. Expect anything from these two versatile fighters who both have a never quit attitude.
Two other fights to pay attention to are the ones involving welterweight, Jon Fitch and heavyweight, Cheick Kongo.
The big three of the UFC welterweight division consists of Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre and current champion, Matt "the Terror" Serra. A win over his opponent, Chris Wilson could launch Fitch into contendership and add a fourth fighter to the welterweight mix.
With the UFC's loss of Randy Couture, Mirko Cro Cop, and now possibly Andrei Arlovski, Cheick Kongo's fight against Heath Herring becomes all the more important. After his defeat of Tim Sylvia at UFC 81 to earn a heavyweight title, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will be needing viable heavyweight contenders to defend his title against.
Expect a war between Kongo and Herring as the two see the climb up to the top of the heavyweight ladder has been lowered a rung or two.
David Estrada Jr. is a Mixed Martial Arts columnist for the Port Arthur News. He can be e-mailed at DavidEstrada@DavidEstrada.com
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