UFC veteran and the former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will face Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC’s maiden event in Moscow. The “Pitbull” himself put up the image for the event from his Instagram account. The event is scheduled to take place at Olympic Stadium in Russia.
The fight will mark Arlovski’s 27th UFC appearance which is tied with Frank Mir for the most fights in divisional history and a win over Abdurakhimov will earn him most wins in the history of the weight class.
Arlovski had a tough outing in his last match against Tai Tuivasa, which he lost by decision. After shifting his camp to ATT “The Pitbull” has looked impressive inside the cage. He was on a five-fight losing streak and his career was also in jeopardy. But he bounced back with impressive decision wins over Junior Albini and Stefan Struve. The Moscow fight is an important fight for the former champion as it may decide the course of his career.
His opponent, on the other hand, will look for that win at all costs. This might be the biggest victory of his career. Abdurakhimov has three wins in his last five outings and would be looking to improve UFC record. His last bout was against Chase Sherman which he dominantly won with a first round KO.
This is an interesting matchup in the heavyweight division, which has shown a resurgence in the recent times. Andrei Arlovski will fight for his legacy and would like to improve his record to be one of the greatest MMA fighters to have stepped foot inside the octagon. Abdurakhimov would be coming into this fight to stamp his authority in the heavyweight division. All in all, this is an interesting match for the MMA fans.
Who do you think takes the win, Arlovski or Abdurakhimov?
