Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski returned to mixed martial arts (MMA) action last night (Sat., Sept. 14, 2013), headlining World Series of Fighting (WSOF) against a traditional Light Heavyweight, Mike Kyle.
"Pitbull" was out to prove that his suspect chin was durable after a miserable stretch (0-4) from 2009 to 2011 seemed to prove otherwise.
"MAK" tested him early and often, dropping the Belarusian on at least two occasions inside Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., but he was unable to close the deal like Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov did before him so fantastically. Arlovski -- who stepped in on one month's notice for an injured Anthony Johnson -- was able to weather the storm and return fire, going toe-to-toe with Kyle throughout what the promotion branded a "15-minute thriller" that aired live on NBC Sports.
Even though Kyle scored knockdowns in the first and third rounds, Arlovski rebounded well each time. And his volume of work in the first 10 minutes, during which he landed a nice mix of punches and leg kicks, proved enough to earn an entertaining decision win (29-28 across the judging board).
"It was a great fight," Arlovski remarked after the win. "He's a top fighter, and I really appreciate him for this fight. I guess I could have followed the game plan more, but I did what I did. It was a good comeback from my fight March 23 [against Johnson]."
For complete WSOF 5: "Arlovski vs. Kyle" results, including play-by-play of the entire televised main card, click here and here.
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