On the night of June 30, UFC 303 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will feature legendary former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. The 45-year-old fighter from Belarus will meet Martin Buday from Slovakia. It will be his 42nd fight in the UFC - only Jim Miller (44) has more.
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In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia, Arlovski:
- told how many years he plans to compete;
- whether he plans to train his children in martial arts;
- shared his opinion on the Tyson vs. Paul boxing fight and his own chances in the fight against Paul;
- commented on the clash between Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich after the fight;
- assessed Volkov's chances in potential bouts against Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall.
"I would like to fight for two more years"
- Andrei, you said that the fight against Buday could be your last fight in the UFC, but you added that it's not definite. Will the upcoming fight be the last one under your contract or do you still have fights left in it?
- No, it's the last one under my contract, I have my manager working closely with other promotions, so we'll see where things are better. You know, we are all looking for a better place.
- How many years do you expect to perform?
I don't know, I'd like to get to 47, and the best scenario, of course, would be like Bernard Hopkins': he fought until 48 and became champion at that age. We'll see, but I'd like to fight for two more years.
- But you don't rule out that you can fight there until 50, because Hopkins fought until 50?
- No way, 50? It looks like madness. But on the other hand, you know, with the drugs that are being made now and apparently, I'm going to get hooked on them soon, why not?! I could make it to 70. Just kidding.
- Are you hungry for training now?
- Yes you know, I am still one of the first to get to the gym. If I have sparring at 12, I come at 11:15, start warming up, stretching. And I'm usually the last one to leave. Let's just say I'm grinding like before, I'm working as hard as before - thank God it's all good so far.
Bet on MMA with 1xBet"New UFC gloves suck. It feels like they skimped on them like on some Vietnamese sandals"
- I wanted to ask about the new gloves in the UFC. Have you tried them on?
- Yes, they suck. They sent them to me, I trained in them - completely underwhelming. The quality is like some Vietnamese sandals you would find at a Soviet market, with subpar quality. The gloves give off the same feeling, like they just saved money.
- Do you think you will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame? You are one of the record holders for the number of fights in the UFC and have had the most fights in the heavyweight division.
I hope to be included not just because I have had the most fights, at least in the heavyweight division. But it's not up to me to decide.
- Earlier in the conversation, you mentioned that your managers are in talks with other leagues. Was Jorge Masvidal with his Gamebred league among those who could offer you a contract?
- No, he was not one of them.
"My eldest son has a red belt in taekwondo, most likely we'll send the middle one there too"
- Do you already know what you'll be doing after your sports career ends? Because you have three children, and you have said you don't want to drop below a certain comfort level.
- Of course, I will spend time with family and children. I definitely won't be a coach. My wife is trying to get into something, we'll see. I will definitely be doing something - I won't just sit at home because it's not my thing.
I will definitely dedicate more time to the children, especially the eldest, as he has joined a team that ranks among the top ten in his age category. So, we'll focus more on baseball, plus I have a young daughter. Believe me, I'll find things to keep me occupied.
- Do your sons watch your fights live on TV?
- No.
- Do you forbid them or are they uninterested?
No, they are interested. They are like, 'Daddy-daddy, we want to fight"' - both the eldest and middle son. The eldest has a red belt in taekwondo. Most likely, we'll send the middle son, Dominic, there too, because he wants to fight. He definitely won't fight professionally, but for self-defense, for some basic fighting skills, why not? You don't get hit on the head, there are only body shots.
"If I fought Jake Paul, I would knock him out in the first minute"
- If you were offered a boxing match against the current Mike Tyson, would you agree?
- If I fought Mike Tyson, I would regard him with respect since he is the Mike Tyson. What Jake Paul showed at the press conference, saying he would slit his throat, you shouldn't talk like that about someone who has achieved everything in boxing.
Yes, you've made a little bit of money on YouTube, but you can't touch legends and speak so disrespectfully. Therefore, I don't understand why Mike Tyson needs this fight? The money, no doubt. But I don't know if it's true or not; someone told me about clauses in the contract that he can't knock out in certain rounds. If the fight goes to a decision, they will give the victory to Jake Paul because, as I was told, he will invite his judges and pay them. So, no matter how you look at it, it’s going to be a lose-lose positionfor Mike Tyson.
If I fought Jake Paul, I would knock him out in the first minute. Because I saw Mike Tyson's workouts. He's about 60 years old, but he moves just the same and hits just the same. However, the fight was rescheduled, and Mike Perry will fight Paul now. He has huge chances of knocking Jake Paul out because the dude is not afraid to step into the fire. He's a bit of a daredevil and will definitely provide an interesting fight. Most likely, I’m going to watch it live.
- Will you attend this fight?
- Most likely, yes. We talked about it yesterday, I think so.
Bet on MMA with 1xBet"No beef between me and Volkov for sure. He is really a top-5 great fighter, good for him"
- I wanted to touch on your last fight against Cortez-Acosta. In the last fight, he provoked you, flipping you off and sticking out his tongue. What emotions did you have during the fight - were you as composed and focused or did it anger you?
- He pisses me off all the time. You need to give in to emotions. And when he dropped his mouthpiece, I pretended to kick it. But a clown is a clown, so - whatever. Obviously, it's only temporary. If you lack class, you will never have it. I should have taught him a lesson and won the fight, but unfortunately, I didn’t, it is what it is.
- Were you surprised by the fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov? What can you say about Pavlovich's reaction after the fight when he pushed Volkov and cursed at him?
- I was rooting for Pavlovich and thought Sergei would win. However, I said that the only moment when Volkov could counter and defeat Pavlovich was if he used his long reach, his arms and legs. He essentially did this with front kicks and high kicks, not allowing Sergei to get close.
Sergei became a victim of his own position: all his wins in the UFC were by knockout in the first round. So, in my opinion, Sergei wanted to knock him out. Honestly, I don't understand how he didn't take him down when they were near the cage. Because Sergei is physically very strong - he pulls like a Belarus tractor. I don't know what tractors are like in Russia, so I mentioned the tractors from Belarus.
If I were Sergei, I would let go of this scuffle situation because now he's being criticized from all sides. He just needs to bear with this, calm down, and come back stronger.
There is a fundamental difference between Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich - Pavlovich appears to be more spectacular and physically strong. Although Volkov has also shown quite an impressive physique.
- Recently, Volkov gave an interview where he said he respects you and regretted making harsh comments about you and Ngannou in his youth. But now he understands how unpleasant it was for you. Are you ready to forgive him and shake his hand if he apologizes to you?
- Come on, I'm not the Almighty to forgive anyone. A word spoken is past recalling. He said it, this is fine. I probably said many things too. As Americans say, there is definitely no beef between me and Volkov. He is really a top-5 great fighter, good for him. I wish him luck, let him move forward.
- Do you see him having a chance against Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall?
You see, the thing is, Cyril Gane is a striker. He constantly moves and he is constantly on his toes. He's truly unique; I moved like this when I was young too. That's one thing. Secondly, Aspinall is fast and sharp. So, I don't know, if Volkov is focused and uses his long reach, I think he will have more chances against Gane than against Aspinall.
That's how I feel. Because both fighters are strikers. They also say that in the last two years, Volkov’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu have improved a lot. So, if he takes Gane on the ground, he will surely win.
