Andrei Arlovski believes his prime is still ahead of him.
At 41-years-old, Arlovski is still competing in the UFC and fighting top-ranked heavyweights. Although he is just 4-9 and one no-contest in his last 15 contests, Arlovski is still confident he can turn back the clock and go on another run to win the heavyweight title just like George Foreman did in boxing at age 45 and defended his belt until 48.
“I take care of my body. I choose what is most important for me now. There are not many UFC fighters over age 40 that are still fighting,” Andrei Arlovski said at media day. “Who? Me, Alexey Oleynik, Yoel Romero, and Anderson Silva who fought last weekend. Listen, I have a great example in George Foreman, who became champion at age 46. Mark my words, for me primetime is ahead of me in near future.”
If Andrei Arlovski is going to start another run to the top, he will need to beat rising contender, Tanner Boser on Saturday. The Canadian in Boser is coming off back-to-back KO wins and has a ton of hype and is unranked. So, these are the type of opponents the 41-year-old needs to beat in order to start fighting ahead of him.
The Belarusian did return to the win column in May with a decision win over Philipe Lins after being brutally knocked out by Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Arlovski has also picked up wins over Ben Rothwell and Stefan Struve in the past two years to show he is still competitive.
Whether or not Andrei Arlovski will actually make another run towards the belt is uncertain. But, if he can have a good showing at UFC Vegas 13 against Boser, it would be a step in the right direction.