Andrei Arlovski

Early life

Arlovski was born in Babruisk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union (now Belarus). When he was younger, bullies often picked on him and beat him up. In 1994, when he was 14 years old, he had finally had enough and started lifting weights to put on muscle and, he hoped, to help him deal with these bullies. Arlovski took up martial arts at the age of 16 in sports such as Sambo, Judo and Kickboxing.

Enrolling at the police academy in Minsk, Arlovski combined his interest in a career in law enforcement with his growing martial arts participation by taking up the required police defense course in Sambo and quickly showed himself to be a highly competent Sambo opponent. In 1999, Arlovski won the European Youth Sambo Championship and the World Youth Championship. Not long after, Arlovski became the first Master of Sports and then International Master of Sports. He took a silver medal at the Sambo World Cup and another silver medal at the World Sambo Championship.

Arlovski began taking a greater interest in other martial arts, studying kickboxing and developing his striking skills to complement his Sambo-based grappling abilities.

Mixed martial arts career

At the age of 20, Arlovski began his professional MMA career at the Mix Fight M-1 in St Petersburg, Russia on 9 April 1999 facing Viacheslav Datsik. After a competitive stand up battle, Arlovski would be knocked out with a hard straight, losing his debut. Not deterred, Arlovski returned in 2000 to M-1 Global at the European Championships, taking the heavyweight crown with a submission victory and a KO victory.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Arlovski made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 28, defeating Aaron Brink by submission. He was then thrown in against top opposition, losing to future UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 32 and heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo at UFC 36. Despite those early defeats, wins over future British Cage Rage Light heavyweight Champion Ian Freeman at UFC 40 and future IFL Light heavyweight Champion Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 44 propelled Arlovski back into the UFC elite.

In 2004, a motorcycle accident injury suffered by then UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir led to the creation of an interim heavyweight title. It was decided that the two top heavyweight contenders would meet to declare the interim champion. Arlovski faced former heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia. They were originally supposed to fight at UFC 47, but Sylvia was pulled from the fight due to recurring positive drug tests. Arlovski ended up facing Wesley Correira, winning the fight via TKO in the second round. The pairing of Arlovski and Sylvia remained intact and occurred at UFC 51. In the fight, Arlovski eventually connected with an overhand right and dropped Sylvia. On the ground, Arlovski followed up with an Achilles lock that forced Sylvia to tap out at 47 seconds of the first round, making Arlovski the new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.

Arlovski went on to defend his interim title on 4 June 2005, at UFC 53, against Justin Eilers. Arlovski won the bout by TKO in the first round. After the fight, it was revealed that Eilers had suffered extensive injuries, including a badly broken nose, two broken hands and a complete ACL tear.

In October 2005, Arlovski once again defended his title at UFC 55 against top contender Paul Buentello. Arlovski knocked out Buentello in 15 seconds of the opening round. On 12 August 2005, the UFC announced that it now recognized Arlovski as the undisputed heavyweight champion, as Frank Mir had not fully rehabilitated from his motorcycle accident.

In a rematch with Tim Sylvia at UFC 59 on 15 April 2006, Arlovski knocked Sylvia down with a right-hand punch early in the first round. Sylvia was able to protect himself and recovered almost immediately. While Arlovski tried to finish Sylvia with a right lead, Sylvia countered with a short right uppercut to the chin, knocking Arlovski to the mat. Sylvia followed up with punches on the ground until referee Herb Dean stopped the match at 2:43 of the first round.

Affliction Entertainment

After leaving the UFC, Arlovski signed with the newly created MMA-promotion Affliction and participated in their inaugural event Affliction: Banned on 19 July 2008. He fought and defeated top-ranked heavyweight fighter and former IFL heavyweight stand-out Ben Rothwell by KO in the final round of the fight, ending Rothwell's 13 fight win streak and giving him his first defeat in over 3 years.

Originally scheduled to face former UFC Heavyweight Champion and top-ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett in the main event at Affliction's second pay-per-view, Affliction: Day of Reckoning, on 11 October 2008, the event was rescheduled and Arlovski would instead be matched up against the last reigning IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson at EliteXC: Heat on 4 October 2008, in Sunrise, Florida in a co-promotion with EliteXC. Arlovski won the fight via KO in the second round and in the process became the only man to ever finish Nelson in his MMA career at that point.

In January 2009, Arlovski faced the last reigning PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Arlovski lost the fight via KO in the first round.

Strikeforce

On 6 June 2009, Arlovski fought up and coming heavyweight Brett Rogers at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. Arlovski lost the fight via TKO in the opening round. After the defeat, in October 2009, Arlovski began training with acclaimed MMA coach Greg Jackson. Arlovski was a featured attendee at Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs. Rogers, where he was mobbed by a crowd of local Chicago fans. Arlovski was signed to Strikeforce and fought former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antônio Silva on 15 May 2010, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery. Following 3 rounds of hard-hitting punches from both and with neither fighter giving in to the other, Arlovski lost by unanimous decision.

Arlovski was defeated by Sergei Kharitonov via KO on 12 February 2011, as part of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. It was his fourth straight loss, three of which were by way of KO. On 17 February 2011, Arlovski posted a video on his website in which he spoke for over an hour, repeatedly saying that he would absolutely not retire. Arlovski indicated that his trainers had recommended that he retire; however, Greg Jackson was against his retirement. Arlovski dedicated himself to training exclusively with Greg Jackson in New Mexico to refocus on his MMA career and make the necessary changes to get back on track.

ProElite

After several months of grueling training schedule in New Mexico with Greg Jackson and the likes of Jon Jones, Shane Carwin, and Travis Browne, Arlovski headlined ProElite 1 on 27 August at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii against heavyweight Ray Lopez. Arlovski won by TKO in the third round after dominating Lopez throughout the fight.

Arlovski faced off against veteran of over 300 fights Travis Fulton at ProElite 2 in November, serving as the co-main event. Arlovski won the fight via head kick KO in the final second of the third round. It was a knockout that caused Fulton, who had never been knocked out, to regain consciousness about 5 minutes after the fight was stopped. Fulton later admitted to Arlovski in the locker room that he has never been hit that hard in all of his 300 bouts.

ONE Fighting Championship

In mid-July 2012, it was announced that Arlovski had signed with the Asia-based promotion ONE Fighting Championship. Originally Arlovski was scheduled to fight Soa Palelei but Soa Palelei was later replaced with Tim Sylvia. The promotion quickly announced that Arlovski would face Tim Sylvia in his debut, marking the fourth time the two fighters had faced each other.

Arlovski and Sylvia faced off at ONE Fighting Championship: Pride of a Nation on 31 August 2012, in Manila. The fight between Arlovski and Tim Sylvia ended in a no-contest due to an illegal soccer kick by Arlovski. According to ONE FC rules, soccer kicks are legal only if the referee clears the fighter to do so after determining the grounded fighter can still intelligently defend himself. Arlovski received no such clearance and the kick was therefore deemed illegal. Four days later, One FC eliminated this restriction. This rule change, had it been enforced prior to the bout, would have resulted in Arlovski winning by TKO. Arlovski had knocked Tim Sylvia down with punches before he landed the illegal kicks that caused the referee to stop the fight.

World Series of Fighting

Arlovski headlined the debut event from the World Series of Fighting against fellow Strikeforce veteran Devin Cole on 3 November 2012, at World Series of Fighting 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event aired live on NBC Sports. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Arlovski fought Anthony Johnson in the main event at World Series of Fighting 2 on 23 March 2013. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Controversy arose after the fight when it was revealed that multiple rounds exceeded the five-minute time limit. The punch believed to have broken Arlovski's jaw was landed after the time at which the round should have ended.

Arlovski next replaced an injured Anthony Johnson against Mike Kyle at WSOF 5 on 14 September 2013. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Independent promotions

Arlovski faced Bellator veteran Mike Hayes at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 9 on 16 December 2012, in Moscow, Russia. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Arlovski was also scheduled to fight two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion and veteran of over 60 fights Jeff Monson in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 2 February 2013, but the event was postponed.

Arlovski fought Andreas Kraniotakes at Fight Nights - Battle in Minsk on 29 November 2013, and Arlovski won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Return to UFC

On 24 April 2014, it was confirmed by multiple MMA media websites that Arlovski had been granted his release from WSOF to return to UFC. The former heavyweight champion fought Brendan Schaub at UFC 174 on 14 June 2014. Arlovski was victorious in his return to the UFC, defeating Schaub via split decision (28–29, 29–28, and 29–28).

It was announced that Arlovski would be facing Antônio Silva in a rematch on 13 September 2014, at UFC Fight Night 51. Despite being a heavy betting underdog, Arlovski won the fight via knockout in the first round, after landing two consecutive right hands that dropped Silva and subsequent hammer fists on the ground with Silva unable to defend himself. This win also won Arlovski his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Arlovski faced Travis Browne on 23 May 2015, at UFC 187. Despite being a heavy underdog and being knocked down in the first round, Arlovski stunned Browne multiple times throughout the opening minutes, and eventually won the fight via TKO in the first round. Post-fight, Joe Rogan revealed in the commentary that Arlovski came close to withdrawing from the fight due to a calf injury in training. The win also earned Arlovski his first Fight of the Night bonus award.

Arlovski faced Frank Mir on 5 September 2015, at UFC 191, winning by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 30–27) in a fight which many, including UFC president Dana White, thought Mir won. 12 of 15 media outlets, however, scored the bout in favor of Arlovski.

Arlovski returned to face Stipe Miocic on 2 January 2016, at UFC 195. He was defeated via TKO in the first round.

Arlovski faced Alistair Overeem on 8 May 2016, at UFC Fight Night 87. After a back and forth first round, Arlovski lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Arlovski next faced Josh Barnett on 3 September 2016, at UFC Fight Night 93. He lost the fight via rear naked choke submission in the third round, resulting in his first submission loss in his professional MMA career. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.

Global Fight League

On 11 December 2024, it was announced that Arlovski was signed by the Global Fight League. However, in April 2025, the company cancelled all upcoming events indefefintely citing an investor pullout.

Boxing bouts

Dirty boxing

Arlovski faced Terrance Hodges on 22 March 2025, at Dirty Boxing Championship's "DBX 1". He won the fight by technical knockout due to a referee stoppage in the second round, which was his first combat sports finish in ten years.

Bare Knuckle boxing

Arlovski was scheduled to make his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut against Geronimo dos Santos on 21 June 2025, at BKFC 76. However, for unknown reasons, dos Santos withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Josh Copeland. Arlovski won the fight by technical knockout at the end of the fourth round.

Arlovski faced Ben Rothwell for the BKFC World Heavyweight Championship on 7 February 2026 at BKFC Knucklemania VI. He won the bout by third-round TKO. The match was their first meeting in bare‑knuckle boxing after two previous fights in mixed martial arts, which Arlovski also won.

Professional boxing

On 28 October 2025, it was announced that Arlovski would make his professional boxing debut against Nigerian reality star Kelz in four-round bout on the MF Duel: Cracra vs Fox undercard. The bout took place on 9 November at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. He won the fight by knockout in the fourth round.

Personal life

Arlovski resides in Coconut Creek, Florida, with his wife and two sons. He previously owned a pit bull terrier named Maximus, who died. He is an Orthodox Christian. Arlovski did a public service announcement against dog fighting featuring Maximus and calling it inhumane and torture. Arlovski said he chose his nickname The Pitbull for the positive qualities these dogs have.

Arlovski has openly spoken about overcoming cancer three times.

Movie and television career

Arlovski's movie debut was in 8 of Diamonds in 2006. He starred in Universal Soldier: Regeneration in 2009, along with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. In the movie, he plays an "NGU", a new generation UniSol in the main "bad guy" role. The movie was released directly to video on 2 February 2010, in the United States. Arlovski also played a part in the next Universal Soldier movie — Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, released in theaters on 30 November 2012, and on demand on 25 October 2012.

In 2015, Arlovski appeared on the TV show Limitless in episode 7 "Brian Finch's Black Op". Arlovski played the role of a suspected terrorist hunted by the CIA. The show originally aired 3 November 2015.

Arlovski appeared on Mayhem Miller's MTV show Bully Beatdown, in which he beat the 'bully', thereby earning the 'victims' $10,000.

In 2018, Arlovski had a small role as a mob enforcer opposite Denzel Washington in the opening scene of The Equalizer 2.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time; former)

One successful title defense

First Belarusian champion in UFC history

Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time; first; former)

One successful title defense

Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Josh Barnett and Travis Browne

Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Antônio Silva

UFC Encyclopedia Awards

Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Ricco Rodriguez

Knockout of the Night (Two times) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko and Paul Buentello

Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Aaron Brink and Tim Sylvia

Tied (Donald Cerrone) for fifth most wins in UFC history (23)

Most wins in UFC heavyweight history (23)

Second most bouts in UFC history (42)

Most bouts in UFC heavyweight history (42)

Third most bouts in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (45) (behind Donald Cerrone & Jim Miller)

Most total fight time in UFC heavyweight history (6:49:58)

Bare Knuckle Boxing

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

BKFC Heavyweight Championship (One time, current)

Oldest fighter in history to win a BKFC Championship (47 years, 3 days)

Sambo

European Youth Sambo

European Youth Sambo Champion

World Cup

2nd place in the World Cup in Sambo

World Sambo Championship

2nd place at the World Sambo Championship