Issue 025

May 2007

By James Hoy

With the UFC’s heavyweight division recently receiving a massive boost thanks to some fantastic signings, it’s easy to forget that there is a big, bad Belarusian on the warpath to reclaim the heavy-weight title he lost to Tim Sylvia almost a year ago, via what was at the time a shock ending.

Although he faces a very tough fight in Manchester at UFC 70 in the shape of jiu-jitsu expert and PRIDE veteran Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski told us he is prepared for any challenge in his route back to the top. With this dangerous Brazilian, Cro Cop, a resurgent Couture and Sylvia all now in the mix – he will need to be.

Before his loss to Sylvia, The Pitbull was seen by many as a big fish in a small pond – too good for the rest of the dwindling talent in the heavyweight division, especially after a 15-second KO of nearest contender Paul Buentello. A Sambo practitioner with strong grappling skills, he possesses extremely dangerous hands and holds several knockout victories.

Although he was unable to take out Sylvia in their rubber match (largely due to cautiousness from both fighter’s leading to a decision victory for then-champ Sylvia) Andrei looked strong against Marcio ‘Pe de Pano’ Cruz at UFC 66 and has had some time to prepare for this fight and work hard on his training. 

The man who stands in his way at UFC 70: Nations Collide, Fabricio Werdum, possesses world class ground skills so highly thought of that Mirko Cro Cop recruited him to teach BJJ at his gym.

And of course in return, the chance to train with the best striker in the MMA game has not hurt Werdum’s stand-up game one bit. 

He will be eager to impress as although his victories over top heavy-weights like Aleksander Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem speak for themselves, many of the UK and US fans will not be aware of him, as he has been fighting in Japan with PRIDE. Already a tough test for Andrei, he will no doubt be looking to end the fight spectacularly to win the fans over early. 

Andrei is a busy man, training hard for his fight with his team in Chicago and a number of top fighters. We managed to get a few words from him on the fight, his feelings on the current state of the heavyweight division - and of course, new champ Randy Couture.

You are facing Fabricio Werdum on his UFC debut at UFC 70: Nations Collide. What do you know about him and how do you expect the fight to play out? 

AA: Fabricio is a tough guy and a tough fighter coming from PRIDE. I saw a couple of his fights and his Jiu-Jitsu is very good and he is not afraid to stand. I am training hard and preparing for him and I hope the fight plays out to my benefit. 

Did you bring in any special trainers to prepare for the fight? 

AA: I am working with the same team of trainers and I have an opportunity to train with a number of great fighters. 

Anything you have worked to improve on in particular?

AA: Like any other fight I am training in all disciplines and trying to improve in all areas; standing up and on the ground.

Will this be your first time in the UK? Any plans to sightsee while you are over here? 

AA: Yes, it will be my first trip to the UK and I am excited to be on this card. I would like to see the history and I will try to go to London if I have some free time. 

What do you know about the UK-based fighters?

AA: I don’t know many UK fighters but I like Bisping, he is a good fighter.

You’ve said you want to fight as much as possible in 2007 in your path towards the title - anyone in particular you want to fight, or avoid fighting? 

AA: I never pick my opponents. I am a professional fighter and I fight when I am called to fight, and I fight who I am told to fight. 

Would you hazard a guess as to who might be champion when you get a title shot?

AA: I don’t like to make predictions about who is going to be the champ in the future; but I am working real hard to have an opportunity to fight for the title again.

The heavyweight division has recently been bolstered by Randy Couture’s amazing comeback and the signing of Cro Cop and Werdum - are you worried you might never get back to the top of the pile, especially with more signings sure to follow in the near future? Or do you relish the challenge?

AA: I never turn my back on a challenge and I always welcome a good one. If we have a lot of good heavyweights in the UFC, it will only be beneficial for the sport and the fighters. 

You’ve stated in the past that Randy is one of your favourite fighters. Have you managed to spend time training with him and would you like to fight him?

AA: I think of Randy as a good friend

and a tremendous fighter. He is a legend in the sport. I had an opportunity to work with him in the past and that was definitely a great experience. As I said before, I am a professional fighter. I don’t have any personal reasons to fight anybody in particular. I am interested in fighting the best opponents and participate in competitions that make sense.

It sounds like Dana White has some major plans to expand the organisation across Europe - do you think the day will come when you can fight for the UFC in your home country? 

AA: I think it was a great idea to come to Great Britain but not sure if the UFC has any plans to go to Belarus anytime soon. It would be nice to fight in my home country again if I had the chance and UFC goes there.

I heard you like skydiving - which makes you more nervous: stepping in to the Octagon or free falling thousands of feet? 

AA: Sky Diving!

Do you have any messages for the UK fans?

AA: Yes. I would like to thank all my fans in the UK and around the world that have supported me. I receive some of the nicest letters in the mail and emails (on myspace.com/arlovski and web site www.arlovski.tv) from fans there. I hope they come out and support me on April 21. I will put in all my effort to ensure that after the event my fan base in the UK will grow.