Greg Jackson gave Andrei Arlovski much-needed 'hope' after four-fight losing streak

Once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight division, Andrei Arlovski was able to right his ship after four consecutive losses during a 25-month span, thanks to famed mixed martial arts (MMA) coach, Greg Jackson.

While losing to Fedor Emelianenko, Sergei Kharitonov and Antonio Silva is nothing to hang your head over, the losses didn't help "The Pitbull's" chances in his quest to get an invite back to the Octagon.

That's why the former 265-pound champion decided to head down to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to pay the Jackson-Winklejohn gym a visit. With the help of Jackson and Co., Arlovski was able to get some much-needed "hope" and get back on the winning track to (hopefully) remain in the fight game for many years to come.

Arlovski broke it down at today's (March 19, 2013) World Series of Fighting (WSOF) media conference call:

"Greg Jackson gave me hope after four losses, my last two losses in the Grand Prix. Some people told me I lost it, but he told me to come to Albuquerque and gave me hope. It might be a different story if I don't go there, but right now, we have great sparring partners and great coaches and I'm happy. I still have several years left. I'm good."

The Belarusian looks to make it five wins in a row as he takes on UFC castaway Anthony Johnson in the main event of World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 2 this Saturday night (March 23) when the upstart promotion heads to Atlantic City, NJ, with its second offering.

And while UFC President Dana White thinks the heavyweight showdown between "Rumble" and "The Pitbull" isn't a legitimate fight due to the fact that Johnson is a former welterweight going to the land of the big men, a win for Arlovski will go a long way for his career.

A loss to the heavy-handed Johnson, however, could prove to be a nightmare for his UFC dreams.