It wasn’t the most exciting fight in history but Andrei Arlovski still did enough over three rounds to get a win over Stefan Struve at UFC 222.
It wasn’t long ago that Arlovski was contemplating retirement after suffering several losses in a row but now with a new coaching staff behind him at American Top Team, the former heavyweight champion feels reborn.
Arlovski had a good strategy at the start of the fight to get inside Struve’s reach by feeding the giant Dutchman a steady diet of inside leg kicks and then coming over the top with a big right hand.
Arlovski mixed in a couple of takedowns in the first round, although he didn’t do much damage and instead just put Struve on the mat before allowing him to get back to the feet.
Arlovski went back to the takedown again in the second round but this time Struve was able to get a reversal by trapping the former heavyweight champion’s leg and looking for a submission until he was able to get on top.
The advantage was short lived, however, as Arlovski was able to work his way free before locking up Struve in the clinch yet again. With less than a minute to go in the round, Arlovski endured an eye poke that paused the action but he was able to recover to get the fight restarted.
It was a back and forth battle throughout, especially in the third round when Arlovski and Struve decided to strike with each other with neither one really gaining a huge advantage.
Arlovski lands another big overhand right! #UFC222@AndreiArlovski pic.twitter.com/EPQbgucVgj
— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2018
Arlovski did manage a good overhand right and a fifth takedown late in the final round as he attempted to sway the judges in a fight where neither man did much damage.
The judges ultimately scored the fight in favor of Arlovski by unanimous decision as he picks up his second win in a row overall.
While it wasn’t the most memorable performance, Arlovski still found a way to win while Struve drops his second loss in a row overall.
