Andrei Arlovski Replaces Injured Anthony Johnson, Faces Mike Kyle at WSOF 5

Andrei Arlovski will take his place against Mike Kyle at the Sept. 14 event, which takes place at Revel Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. MMAFighting.com was the first to report to revised matchup. While Johnson-Kyle was scheduled to be a light heavyweight affair, Arlovski will meet the American Kickboxing Academy product at heavyweight.

Arlovski lost a unanimous decision to Johnson in his last outing at WSOF 2, halting a five-fight unbeaten streak for the 34-year-old Belarusian. A former UFC heavyweight champion, “The Pit Bull” owns notable victories against Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson, Ben Rothwell and Vladimir Matyushenko, among others. The Jackson’s MMA product headlined WSOF’s inaugural event last November, knocking out Devin Cole in the first round.

A former King of the Cage light heavyweight champion, Kyle will be making his WSOF debut. The 33-year-old was choked out by Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce’s final event in January before rebounding to knock out Travis Wiuff in 21 seconds at CFA 11 in May.