It appears heavyweight legend Andrei Arlovski is ready to fight on.
Following a split decision loss against Martin Buday at UFC 303 on Saturday, promotion CEO and President Dana White confirmed that Arlovski’s time in the company had come to an end. A veteran of 42 trips to the fabled octagon, “The Pitbull” was on his second stint with the promotion, but had lost four straight, enough that at age 45, the UFC opted to send him packing.
Still, the seemingly ageless Arlovski, still competitive against men half his age, doesn’t sound deterred. On a post to his official Instagram page, Arlovski (34-24, 2NC) suggested it wasn’t about wins at the end of the day.
“What makes me #GREAT aren’t the 34 VICTORIES, what makes me GREAT are the 20+ times before Saturday night, before UFC 303 – that I figured out how to become victorious,” Arlovski wrote, adding another hashtag – “#stillFUCKINrollin” – at the end.
He went on to state that “I didn’t want to finish my journey in the UFC like that, but it is what it is… And yes, I’m not BITCHING, just wondering how come??? Soooo, my CHAPTER in the UFC is closed, BUT MY BOOK IS NOT FINISHED YET‼️‼️‼️ Will see what’s around the corner.” Arlovski, tagging his management team, added “it’s more stories to tell.”
This is not the first time Arlovski has gone on an 0-4 stretch in his career. He lost five straight between January 2016 and June 2017, only to bounce back with a couple of wins, then lost four more in 2018-19 (one overturned to a No Contest) before posting a 7-2 record including a four-fight win streak.
From 2009 to 2011, Andrei Arlovski lost four fights while still in his prime. In a career dating back to 1999, if the former UFC heavyweight champ has proved anything, it’s to never count him out.
