Rising heavyweight prospect Carlos Felipe knows what his strategy will be when he takes on former champion Andrei Arlovski in October. After calling out the ‘Pitbull’ following his last win, the Brazilian now wants to showcase his skillset and physical endurance to the world.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Felipe explained his gameplan is to make Arlovski exhausted right from the start. In order to do so, Carlos intends to put on a kind of pressure Andrei will not be able to handle, or so he expects.
“This is a new milestone in my career,” Felipe said. “From now on (the competition) it’s only going to get worse. I’m entering a new stage. Here’s how I see it. I won’t respect Arlovski. I’m going to pressure him all the time. I have nothing but respect for his career, but his time is over. I’m coming up and he’s one of the guys I need to get past. I’m going to steamroll him. You can expect an even better version of Carlos. I’m going to punch his head the whole time.”
“I’ll make that old man’s lungs dilate,” Felipe said. “I’m going to be his cardiologist. If he gets past this, then he has a good heart. It’s going to be three rounds of pressure. We’re going to war. I think my cardio will be one of the keys to victory. Fighting three rounds is easy for me. I’ll have more gas, better footwork. I’ve been saving a knockout win for a moment like this. To knock out a former world champion.”
Currently on a three-fight winning streak, Carlos (11-1) has defeated Jake Collier, Justin Tafa and Yorgan De Castro in his last UFC outings, all by way of decision. The 26-year-old’s last and sole loss happened in his Octagon debut, when he dropped a majority decision to Sergey Spivak, back July 2020.
Now, Felipe is expected to take on Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 195, on July 16. So far, there is not a location nor a main event linked to the card, though a women’s featherweight bout between former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and contender Norma Dumont could end up taking the spot.
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