Outside Source
Andrei Arlovski is set to return to action for the first time since parting ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year.
Arlovski will square off against Terrance Hodges under the Dirty Boxing banner on March 22 at the Regatta Harbour in Miami, the promotion announced Wednesday. DBX 1 is expected to be headlined by a clash between Yoel Romeo and Ras Hylton. DBX uses four-ounce gloves, with elbows and “conditional ground-and-pound” allowed.
A former heavyweight champion, Arlovski fulfilled his last UFC contract with a split-decision loss against Martin Buday at UFC 303 this past July. He was also drafted by the Los Angeles team in the fledgling Global Fight League earlier this year, but the promotion has yet to formally confirm any dates or locations for upcoming events.
Arlovski initially rose to prominence during his first UFC stint from 2000 to 2008, when he captured heavyweight gold and had a memorable trilogy with Tim Sylvia. “The Pit Bull” claimed the title with a 47-second submission of Sylvia at UFC 51 and defended the belt twice with first-round stoppages of Justin Eilers and Paul Buentello. He relinquished the belt in a rematch against Sylvia at UFC 59 and dropped a five-round verdict in their third meeting at UFC 61.
The Belarusian fought for multiple organizations outside the UFC from 2008 to 2013, including Affliction, EliteXC, Strikeforce and World Series of Fighting. While Arlovski wouldn’t challenge for the heavyweight title again in the UFC, he authored a couple lengthy winning streaks during a second stint that lasted a decade. The American Top Team product was able to remain competitive in fights into his 40s, even winning six of seven UFC appearances from May 2020 to April 2022.
The 41-year-old Hodges owns a 2-7 mark in MMA, with his last appearance coming in a unanimous decision loss to Mohammad Usman at Titan FC 63 in August 2020. Hodges has also competed in boxing, muay thai and kickboxing.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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