Andrei Arlovski spoke to the media following his win at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in Jacksonville, Fla.
UFC on ESPN+ 29: Andrei Arlovski full post-fight interview
Andrei Arlovski spoke to the media following his win at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tag: Andrei Arlovski
UFC on ESPN+ 29 pre-event facts: Andrei Arlovski’s activity unmatched at heavyweight
The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 29, which features an Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira main event.
The UFC’s busy schedule returning from the coronavirus pandemic continues on Wednesday with UFC on ESPN+ 29, which takes place at VyStar Veteran Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a 12-fight lineup set to stream on ESPN+.
A pair of light heavyweight contenders are set to clash in the main event. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) returns from an 11-month layoff when he takes on former title challenger [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a matchup with high implications for both men.
That’s not all the card has to offer, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 40 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 29.
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Main event
Smith competes in his fifth consecutive UFC headliner. He’s 3-1 in previous main event appearances.
Smith is 4-1 since he moved up to the UFC light heavyweight division in June 2018.
Smith is 8-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2016. He’s 15-4 since he was first released from the promotion in June 2013.
Smith has earned 30 of his 32 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his eight UFC wins.
Smith’s four stoppage victories since 2018 in UFC light heavyweight competition are most in the division.
Smith has been awarded a fight-night bonus in his past three UFC wins.
Teixeira’s three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Jon Jones (four), Magomed Ankalaev (four) and Ryan Spann (four).
Teixeira’s 13 victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (20) and Ryan Bader (15).
Teixeira’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones and Ovince Saint Preux for most in divisional history.
Teixeira’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Saint Preux and Misha Cirkunov for most in divisional history.
Teixeira has landed 86.6 percent of his significant strikes in UFC light-heavyweight competition to his opponent’s head, the largest proportion in divisional history.
Co-main event
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is 1-2 since he returned to competition in March 2019 after a nearly three-year layoff.
Rothwell has earned 34 of his 37 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his seven UFC wins.
[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time after spending his previous 20 octagon appearance at light heavyweight.
Saint Preux’s 11 victories since 2013 in UFC light heavyweight competition are the most in the division.
Saint Preux’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Teixeira, Jones and Chuck Liddell for most in divisional history.
Saint Preux’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Teixeira, Jones and Cirkunov for most in divisional history.
Saint Preux’s four submission victories by Von Flue choke are the most in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce combined organizational history.
Saint Preux’s four submission victories by Von Flue choke are the most in UFC history.
Saint Preux has earned four of the six Von Flue choke submissions in UFC history. Jason Von Flue and Jordan Rinaldi also won with the technique.
Saint Preux’s two technical submission victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Frank Mir (three).
Saint Preux vs. Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 117 was just the second fight in modern UFC history to feature zero combined significant strike attempts. Ilir Latifi vs. Cyrille Diabate at UFC on FUEL TV 6 was the other.
Saint Preux’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC light heavyweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (eight) and Mauricio Rua (eight).
Remaining main card
[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]’s (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) victory at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 128 is the latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight.
Preliminary card
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (28-19 MMA, 17-13 UFC) competes in his 32nd UFC bout, the most in heavyweight history and the fourth most appearances in company history behind Donald Cerrone (35), Jim Miller (34) and Jeremy Stephens (33).
Arlovski is 3-9 (with one no contest) in his past 12 UFC appearances dating back to January 2016.
Arlovski is 7-9 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.
Arlovski’s total fight time of 4:33:42 in UFC heavyweight competition is the most in divisional history.
Arlovski’s 17 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Arlovski’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (13).
Arlovski’s nine knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Cain Velasquez (10), Derrick Lewis (10) and Junior Dos Santos (10).
Arlovski’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Velasquez for second most in divisional history behind Dos Santos (14).
Arlovski landed 152 significant strikes at UFC on ESPN 4, the single-fight record for a three-round UFC heavyweight bout.
Arlovski defends 80.6 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the third highest rate in divisional history behind Alexander Volkov (82.8 percent), Marcin Tybura (82.1 percent) and Dos Santos (81.8 percent).
Arlovski’s nine knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are second most in combined organizational history behind Alistair Overeem (12).
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] (19-15 MMA, 11-11 UFC) was unsuccessful in his return to the lightweight division at UFC on ESPN+ 20. He hasn’t earned a victory in the weight class since September 2016.
Johnson is 3-7 in his past 10 fights dating back to August 2015.
Johnson’s nine knockdowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are fourth most in divisional history behind Melvin Guillard (13), Cerrone (11) and Edson Barboza (10).
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is 0-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in May 2019.
[autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 129.
Benitez defends 71.4 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Josh Emmett (72 percent).
[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC) returns to the UFC for a second stint after going 2-0 outside the promotion. He hasn’t earned an octagon victory since September 2018.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC rebooks Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins for May 13 event
Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins has been rebooked for the UFC’s May 13 event.
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] is back on tap.
The heavyweight matchup was originally scheduled to take place May 2 at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Oklahoma City. However, the event was scrapped due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The fight has since been rebooked for May 13, the second of three events the UFC is holding in an eight-day stretch next month.
Monday, Arlovski (28-19 MMA, 17-10 UFC) was first to announce the news of the Lins (14-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) fight by posting a picture of his bout contract on Instagram.
The fight will be Lins’ first in the promotion since signing with the UFC in February. Although Lins won the 2018 PFL Championship and the $1 million that came with it, he withdrew from the 2019 season due to an apparent injury. Prior to his undefeated four-fight stint with PFL, Lins competed in Bellator from 2014-2017. During his Bellator tenure, Lins went 3-3.
As for Arlovski, “The Pitbull” has struggled as of late, going 1-4 with one no contest in his most recent six fights. Arlovski’s most recent bout came in November, when he was knocked out by surging Surinamese heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
The May event takes place 13 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card is expected to air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
With the addition, the current UFC lineup for May 13 includes:
- Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
- Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux
- Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
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The 10 winningest fighters in UFC history
MMA Junkie takes a look at the 10 fighters with the most wins in UFC history.
With UFC on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, MMA Junkie takes a look at the 10 winningest fighters in the history of the organization. Of note, all fighters included in this column fight at light heavyweight or below and have promotional debuts ranging from September 1999 to February 2011.
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10. Stuck on 17
[jwplayer OiSwEOOD-RbnemIYZ]
Six fighters are tied at the 17-win mark inside the octagon: Former heavyweight champ [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], former lightweight champ [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag], former featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], former middleweight champ [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] and lightweight contender [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag].
9. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]
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Age: 35
Debut: UFC 91 on Nov. 15, 2008
Number of fights: 29
Number of wins: 18
Dos Anjos was in the UFC nearly seven years before he finally captured the lightweight title. Since losing the belt, he’s spent his years in the welterweight division, adding more to his win total. He’s had some tough results of late but is still exclusively fighting top-tier competition.
8. [autotag]Matt Hughes[/autotag]
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Age: 46
Debut: UFC 22 on Sept. 24, 1999
Number of fights: 25
Number of wins: 18
Once considered the greatest welterweight in MMA history, Hughes debuted in the UFC nearly six years before anyone else on the list. The former welterweight champ still holds a top-10 spot, though, due to his dominant run in the 170-pound division though the mid-2000s.
Andy Ruiz shares old sparring footage with former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski
Ready for a boxing vs. UFC blast from the past? We’ve got one for you.
Ready for a boxing vs. UFC blast from the past? We’ve got one for you.
Former boxing champ Andy Ruiz went into the archives and dug up some footage of him sparring with former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] when he was just a teenager.
Check it out (via Twitter):
I was 16 years old when I had the honor to spar with UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski . Super tough guy lived up to his name The Pitbull. I did manage to give him some trouble tho.😂Thanks champ! pic.twitter.com/BMCLJNTCaG
— AndyRuizjr (@Andy_destroyer1) March 19, 2020
I was 16 years old when I had the honor to spar with UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Super tough guy lived up to his name The Pitbull. I did manage to give him some trouble tho.Face with tears of joy Thanks champ!
According to Ruiz, who crafted an all-time upset of Anthony Joshua in 2019 before losing the recent rematch, the encounter took place some 14 years ago, when Arlovski held the UFC belt and status as one of the world’s top heavyweights. He would go on to drop the belt to rival Tim Sylvia, and has had a long and decorated career since, fighting in the UFC more than any heavyweight in company history.
Arlovski, 41, is still going, too. He’s scheduled to fight Philipe Lins at UFC on ESPN+ 32 on May 2 in Oklahoma City. The status of that fight remains in limbo, though. The upcoming UFC schedule is very much tentative due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
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Andrei Arlovski grateful he’s still in the UFC: I didn’t take Jairzinho Rozenstruik seriously, and I paid for it
Andrei Arlovski says he was complacent before his most recent UFC fight, and it cost him with a quick loss.
NORFOLK, Va. – [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] admits he made a critical mistake in his most recent outing.
Arlovski (28-19 MMA, 17-10 UFC) faced undefeated prospect [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] at UFC 244 and was stopped in less than a minute.
It was a loss that could have cost him his UFC career and his fourth setback in five fights.
“Rozenstruik right now is training at American Top Team and he’s sparring behind the curtains, but my buddy who spars with him whooped his ass – and he makes me feel like (expletive) because I didn’t take that fight serious and I paid for it,” Arlovski said this past Saturday while a guest fighter at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va. “It was 29 seconds. I have no clue how he beat (Alistair) Overeem in the fifth round. So I guess he’s going to fight (Francis) Ngannou right now, and I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“It’s another lesson for me: I have to take my opponent seriously.”
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Arlovski next faces PFL heavyweight champion Philipe Lins at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Oklahoma City. With the upcoming matchup, he’s taking a more committed approach.
“I didn’t follow my game plan (against Rozenstruik), first of all, and secondly, I wasn’t that disciplined during the fight week,” Arlovski said. “I went to the restaurant and I had a nice dinner and I told all my coaches, ‘Listen, five more minutes and we’re going back to the restaurant.’ (Expletive) happens, you know, and thank God I still fight and I’m still in the UFC. I’m already three months with not even a glass of wine or beer, and I chose again what’s more important for me – and I just have to remind myself why I’m doing this.”
He’ll be taking on a fellow ATT-trained fighter in Lins, and it’s a matchup his coaches weren’t too fond of.
“It’s up to the UFC – I just never pick my opponents, and I just want to fight in general,” Arlovski said. “Some people (were) definitely not happy from ATT that I’m fighting Philipe, but this is nothing personal. It’s business.”
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2018 PFL champion Philipe Lins joins UFC, meets Andrei Arlovski at UFC Oklahoma City
Philipe Lins won a PFL championship in 2018 and is set to begin his journey toward UFC gold.
[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] won a PFL championship in 2018. Now the Brazilian big man sets his sights on UFC gold.
Lins (14-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed with the UFC and is booked for a May debut vs. former heavyweight champion [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] at UFC Oklahoma City.
A light heavyweight fight between longtime UFC veteran Ed Herman (25-14 MMA, 12-11 UFC) and Korean up-and-comer Da Un Jung (13-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) also has been added to the May 2 card.
The promotion announced both bookings through The Oklahoman on Thursday.
Although Lins won the 2018 PFL Championship and the $1 million that came from it, he withdrew from the 2019 season due to an apparent injury. Prior to his undefeated four-fight stint with PFL, Lins competed in Bellator from 2014-2017. During his Bellator tenure, Lins went 3-3.
As for Arlovski (28-19 MMA, 17-10 UFC), “The Pitbull” has struggled as of late, going 1-4 with one no contest in his most recent six fights. Arlovski’s most recent bout came in November, when he was knocked out by surging Surinamese heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
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UFC Oklahoma City takes place May 2 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The event does not have an official numerical designation, though it is expected to air on ESPN or stream on ESPN+.
The latest UFC Oklahoma City card now includes:
- Jack Hermansson vs. Chris Weidman
- Sarah Alpar vs. Duda Santana
- Claudia Gadelha vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
- Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
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UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters
A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
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EVENTS
The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.
Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).
Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.
The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).
The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.
“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.
At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).
The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).
The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).
In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.
In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.
The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.
“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.
The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.
The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.
“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.
Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.
Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.
“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.
A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.
A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.
A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.
One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)