History will look back favorably on Andrei Arlovski whenever he decides to step aside and hang up the gloves as one of the most accomplished heavyweights of all-time.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder turned 43 in February but remains a staple for the Las Vegas-based organization. Arlovski now rides an improbable three-fight winning streak and sports a 6-2 record across his past eight outings, having lost only to Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Tom Aspinall. The Belarusian has redefined himself more than once and figures to maintain a spot on the roster for as long as he can stay effective. Arlovski last competed on Feb. 12, when he was awarded a split decision over Jared Vanderaa in their three-round UFC 271 encounter.
As Arlovski plots his next move, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. Longevity carries his cause.
Only the venerable Jim Miller has more appearances (39) under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner than Arlovski, who has compiled a 22-14 record with one no contest inside the Octagon. When he made his promotional debut at UFC 28 on Nov. 17, 2000, current bantamweight contender Yadong Song was just 2 years old.
2. Statistical data backs up his relevance.
The UFC’s heavyweight leaderboard features Arlovski’s name quite prominently. He ranks first in appearances (37), first in wins (22), first in total fight time (5:54:51), first in significant strikes landed (1,336), first in total strikes landed (1,617), second in knockdowns (10), third in finishes (11), fourth in takedown defense (79.4%) and fifth in knockouts (nine).
3. He can handle business in a hurry.
Arlovski has 13 first-round stoppage victories to his credit. They account for a little less than half of his career win total (33) and include 13-, 15-, 47- and 55-second finishes.
3. His passport has gotten a workout.
Arlovski has fought in 10 different countries as a professional mixed martial artist: United States, Russia, Singapore, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Belarus, Philippines and England.
5. He played a leading role in the story of a tumultuous division.
Arlovski is one of 17 men to have held the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship. Mark Coleman, Maurice Smith, Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Kevin Randleman, Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier and Francis Ngannou are the others.
More must-reads: