UFC 174: Brendan Schaub plans to respect Andrei Arlovski 2.0 by 'putting it to him' in Vancouver

In an "old school" vs. "new school" heavyweight showdown, Andrei Arlovski will make his much-anticipated return to the Octagon when he faces Brendan Schaub at this weekend's (Sat., June 14, 2014) UFC 174 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

A fight Schaub says he was excited to accept, seeing as how he's been a fan of "The Pitbull" for quite some time.

And when the two heavy-handed brawlers collide in the center of the cage, Schaub plans to show Arlovski the utmost respect by taking the fight right to him.

But it will be far from a walk in the park according to "The Hybrid" "Big Brown," who says that despite having not competed under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner in over six years, Arlovski has made the necessary improvements to reinvigorate his career.

Which is why Brendan tells UFC.com he expects to welcome Arlovski 2.0 to the cage this Saturday night.

His words:

"When he was in the UFC and he was the champ, it was Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and they were fighting each other every other weekend. So it's a different game now. However, he's had this long layoff from the UFC and he's been competing all over the world, but now we're dealing with a different Arlovski. We're talking about an Arlovski who didn't have a Greg Jackson in his corner before. He didn't have a Freddie Roach to work with on the mitts, so I have to welcome Andrei Arlovski 2.0 to the UFC and it's a tough task, but the way I show him the utmost respect is by going in there and just putting it to him."

Indeed, the 35-year-old Arlovski has made the right adjustments to keep himself in the fight game, one he dominated during his championship title reign in 2005.

But as Schaub is quick to remind us, that was then and this is now. And while he recognizes Andrei has done his best to keep up with the times -- winning six of his last eight bouts on the regional circuit -- it will be an entirely different game once he actually steps foot back inside the Octagon.

Just don't bank on "The Pitbull's" alleged glass jaw to show up.