Report: Arlovski No Longer to Receive Title Shot
Prior to UFC it was believed Andrei Arlovski would be next in line for a title shot against either Randy Couture or Gabriel Gonzaga following UFC 74 in August but according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times this is no longer the case. Here’s what it had to say:
“UFC president Dana White said that he was disappointed with Chicago-based heavyweight Andrei Arlovski’s victory April 21 and that Arlovski is not next in line for a title shot.”
Many fans were pretty upset after his lackluster unanimous decision victory over Fabricio Werdum at UFC 70. The fight featured a lack of action which drew boos from most in attendance. He went on to apologize to fans in an interview right after the fight but stated he was only following the instructions of his coaches. Although the advice earned him a win it may have also cost him a title shot.
Now that Dana White has taken Arlovski out of the title hunt, at least for the time being, there are no locks for the next in line although upcoming UFC events should help the UFC determine who is the most deserving of the title shot. I’ll have more whenever we hear rumblings of potential replacements for the likely early 2008 heavyweight title fight.
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dude relax, thats the buissness. you sound like you’re sleping wit the pitbull. waaaaah. we need good championshp fights. not two guys dancing round each other afraid to engage. you hate dana… im sure he hates you to. but as much as you hate him, you will still watch his product. you lil girl. get a life, go train and quit b****ing and worryng what other men are up to.
What’s the big deal? Arlovski took a decent win over a lackluster Pe De Pano, and a dance lesson with Werdum. There’s just as much justification for him to Not get a title shot yet as there is to get one. I don’t blame white one bit on this and if Arlovski wants the title back, he needs to show hes hungry for it. The division is looking a lot better, and Arlovski could run through McCully or Kongo to show he deserves the shot.
He’s still going to have to face Couture, Gonzaga, Nog, or Mirko sooner or later.
AA has not put forth a decent performance since his first loss to Big Tim (IMO it was an early stoppage). Tim/AA III was a snoozefest, when he fought Pe De Pano he didn’t land anything until Herb Dean stopped and then gave him the KO, and he could have at least pushed the pace against Werdum, he is not an exciting fighter anymore and I agree with Dana, nobody wants another boring fighter for a Champion (Sylvia)
I think he might still get it, depending on what happens with Big Nog at 73. Gonzaga/AA or Randy/AA would be absolutely fireworks. If not, I think AA should fight CroCop, perfect match-up for both of them.
maybe that will teach him to not be such a snore fest
I dont really care either way. Even though it is pretty much the name of the game to do so…i hate it when fighters wont engage all areas of a fight. I know Arlovski had the stand up edge and Werdum had the grappling edge. But i want to see Mixed Martial Arts. Not stand up this fight and submissions next fight. I want to see it all put together. It gives you a way better understanding of how fighters match up in all areas of the game and who is better. Arlovski lost 2 of 3 stand up fights with Tim Sylvia and was only able to finish him with a sub. Maybe if he would have utilized some more mixed arts in those other two fights he would still be the champ. JMO.
I can’t blame white either. He is most concerned with good fights and exciting fights because that means its better for the business and the sport. Boring fights like AA’s at UFC 70 is not going to get mainstream coverage which is what the UFC is looking for.
Bad for AA but good for us the fans. AA will be forced to perform on his next fight.
Yeah it puts the burden on Arlovski that’s for sure and I think that will serve as a great motivator for him to push the action too.
He doesn’t deserve a shot based on the way he has been fighting, put him in with cro-cop and let the winner of that have a title shop. That would probably be the best possible fight the UFC could put together. AA would be forced to engage and that one will not go to the ground!
Good!! Put on a performance like that and you damn well don’t deserve a title shot. He’s now forced to step it up next time.
What about Brandon Vera????? Where the hell is he? I’ve heard rumors that Dana has put him on the blacklist. There’s a good chance we’ll never see him fight in the UFC again. Really sad, I thought he could have brought a lot to the game.
The last I heard was that Vera has one fight remaining on his current contract. As soon as that fight is complete a new contract will do into effect for many more fights (I’m not sure the exact number.)
It has been a while since he last fought and a lot of wanted to see him take on Nog. The problem before was he was in line for a title shot soon but without a new contact the UFC wouldn’t risk him leaving as a champion. Now that it is ironed out (at least reportedly) I’d expect him to fight at UFC 73-75.
I agree with Dana as well. After having a boring champ like Tim.S it is time to move on and look at getting more action in the heavyweights. AA will get his shot soon enough. I think AA and crocop will have a showdown sooner or later as well.
Arlovski has scored two lackluster wins. Boring as hell to watch. Maybe if he can come back and score a victory against Tim Sylvia and not stink up the place doing it… and even then…
[...] also featured on the card will be former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre who lost his title to Matt Serra at UFC 69 in April. GSP will face fellow top contender Josh Koscheck with the winner likely getting the next title shot in spring of 2008. The welterweight division has been put on hold after champion Matt Serra and challenger Matt Hughes were tapped as coaches of the 6th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Their title fight will likely not take place until December meaning nearly 9 months will pass between the title defenses. With his win at UFC 71 Karo Parisyan surely earned a title shot although he may have to wait nearly a year before he finally receives it. That is unless Koscheck-GSP is boring because then all of the guarantees go out the window. [...]
[...] Despite rumors that a win for Arlovski could earn him a title shot the boring fight cost him a chance at the heavyweight [...]
[...] to Brawl Sports. The report comes amid discussion over when Arlovski would fight next after being stripped of a shot at the heavyweight title earlier this year. As of now it appears the UFC has not yet decided just what they will be doing [...]