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Andrei Arlovski keeps on keeping on
UFC is back, baby! And by “back,” we mean back at the Apex. But, all is not lost, as the prelims are actually kind of good. That said, don’t let the featured prelim fool you, because that fight is very likely going to be bad. It’s a heavyweight fight, after all, and we know how those go when the top of the division isn’t fighting.
We can’t hate on Andrei Arlovski, though. The man is 44 years old and is commanding six-figure purses to fight whomever they put in front of him, although lately, it’s been the likes of Cortes-Acosta, Chase Sherman, Jake Collier, Jared Vanderaa, and most recently, Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Don’Tale Mayes, both of whom defeated the Belarussian former champion.
Cortes-Acosta has been fighting similar caliber opponents, so it’s not exactly out of the realm of possibility for Arlovski to get a win, but honestly, it’s starting to look like the “Pitbull” might finally be ready for the fat lady to sing. We’ll have to see how it all pans out on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the rest of the undercard to see what we’re working with:
UFC Vegas 84 Prelim card
- Andrei Arlovski vs. W. Cortes-Acosta 265 lbs
- M. Semelsberger vs. Preston Parsons 170 lbs
- Marcus McGhee vs. Gaston Bolaños 135 lbs
- Farid Basharat vs. Taylor Lapilus 135 lbs
- Westin Wilson vs. Jean Silva 145 lbs
- Tom Nolan vs. Nikolas Motta 155 lbs
- Felipe Bunes vs. Joshua Van 125 lbs
In case you haven’t noticed, there are some fresh faces dotting the prelims. Of those gentlemen, we think Tom Nolan and Jean Silva might be worth paying attention to. This is do or die time for Nikolas Motta who hasn’t had a very impressive run in the UFC. His opponent, Tom Nolan, is a very aggressive striker with KO power. Motta will have to dig deep if he wants to ensure his roster spot doesn’t end up in another up-and-comers hands.
Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC 296 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.
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