After his wildly exciting first-round knockout of Travis Browne at UFC 187, former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski didnāt seem too concerned about a title shot.
One thing āThe Pitbullā is apparently interested in, though: revenge.
With news emerging last week that the once-great Fedor Emelianenko is mulling a career comeback, Arlovski ā a man who has tasted defeat at the hands of the Russian once before ā is making it clear that he wants first dibs should the opportunity present itself.
āWhen Iām gonna see Dana White next time I'm going to ask him, 'Please, please⦠If you're going to sign Fedor Emelianenko, just give me a rematch,' ā Arlovski said during a recent fan Q & A. āPlease, please, please.'"
Arlovski and Emelianenko first mixed it up at an Affliction event in 2009. At the time, Arlovski was on a five-fight winning streak, with one of those victories coming over current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. However, on that particular night, Arlovski tried an ill-advised jumping knee that resulted in the Belarusian laying face down on the canvas inside the first round.
Emelianenko retired from professional MMA in 2012 with a record of 34-4-1, and Arlovski admits that he isnāt even sure that the former Pride FC heavyweight champ is going to return to begin with. He is even more unsure if Emelianenko ā who is one of the greatest fighters to never step foot inside the UFCās Octagon ā would even consider signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion.
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.Fedor Emelianenko (R) shakes the hand of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin before a match. (AP)
Fedor Emelianenko (R) shakes the hand of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin before a match. (AP)
But if he does, Arlovski is quite confident that a rematch between the two heavyweight legends would go differently a second time around.
āIām gonna [expletive] him up,ā he said matter-of-factly. āIām not going to jump with that [expletive] stupid flying knee anymore. Itās going to be a different match.ā
Arlovski is rumored to be squaring off with Frank Mir at UFC 191 in early September. He is currently 9-1 in his last 10 fights and is on the verge of title contention once again.
So, a potential showdown with Emelianenko actually makes a lot of sense, if he does, in fact, decide to return to professional MMA; after all, their first fight ended in a flash, they both have their enduring fan bases, and they both share the inescapable bond of being linked to a prior generation.
When asked by a fan if Emelianenko could expect āAndrei Arlovski 2.0ā if the fight happened, Arlovski simply replied: