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Former UFC champion joining Conor McGregor-backed fight promotion as debut announced
Andrei Arlovski has signed with Conor McGregor’s bare-knuckle promotion less than a year since his UFC departure. Arlovski had a whopping 42 fights in Dana White’s promotion, winning the UFC heavyweight title back in 2005 when MMA was emerging as a worldwide sport. Arlovski has fought the best MMA fighters, including UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom AspinallGetty Images - Getty ‘The Pitbull’ has now decided to lay down the gloves, but not to retire, instead joining McGregor’s surging Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Arlovski, who has a 34-24 record in professional MMA, will make his BKFC debut on June 21 in Texas against a fellow retired mixed martial artist Geronimo dos Santos. The 46-year-old from Belarus has fought a who’s who of heavyweight greats in the world of combat sports — past and present. He has locked horns with highly respected MMA veterans like Alistair Overeem, Stipe Miocic and Fabricio Werdum, but also current stars such as Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall. After leaving the UFC for the first time in 2008 to fight across all of the big MMA organisations, Arlovski returned to the promotion in 2014 and shocked fans by putting together a four-fight win streak. It looked as if another heavyweight title run was on the card, until ‘The Pitbull’ suffered five consecutive losses, which included knockout defeats to Miocic, Overeem and Ngannou. He left the UFC for the second time in 2024, after a four-fight losing streak, and made his debut for Mike Perry‘s and Jon Jones’ Dirty Boxing promotion (an event with mixed rules), defeating Terrance Hodges via a doctor’s stoppage. “I’m just in the beginning,” Arlovski said, speaking on the trajectory of his career after battering Hodges in a bloody victory. “It’s wild, so I like it, [the first event] had flying punches [in boxing], it was fun. “Plus, the introduction of ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry did a lot. So I’m very excited. Arlovski continues to mix it with the best at 46 years oldgetty Dirty BoxingHe left Terrance Hodges needing to see a doctor after his last scrap[/caption] “I’m a happy fighter because I still have fire in my eyes. I just waited, and I’m excited to fight. “It’s going to be something new for me. It’s a new page for me. I don’t [care] what’s happened in the past. It’s the past. “Great past, of course, but I live in the present and I’m looking forward in the future, so I’m very excited. “I’m very excited and I really appreciate strong management and their advice and [for Dirty Boxing] to give me that opportunity to turn up myself before my fight in GFL.” Arlovski was linked with a move back into MMA under the GFL banner this year. However, after news that the promotion had cancelled its inaugural event this month, leaving many MMA stars unemployed, ‘The Pitbull’ had to look elsewhere. Bare-knuckle boxing is arguably the most brutal combat sportBKFC McGregor has played a pivotal role in promoting the organisation as a co-ownerBKFC He will now enter the bare-knuckle world along with a host of fellow MMA stars. The current BKFC heavyweight champion is former UFC fighter Ben Rothwell, who had been defeated twice in MMA by Arlovski. Dos Santos, Arlovski’s opponent, was 44-26 during his MMA career, and the 44-year-old went viral last month when he knocked out ex-UFC heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik at BKFC Dubai. BKFC has already ventured into the UK, hosting huge shows in Newcastle and Manchester in the last 12 months.
Andrei Arlovski has signed with Conor McGregor’s bare-knuckle promotion less than a year since his UFC departure.
Arlovski had a whopping 42 fights in Dana White’s promotion, winning the UFC heavyweight title back in 2005 when MMA was emerging as a worldwide sport.
‘The Pitbull’ has now decided to lay down the gloves, but not to retire, instead joining McGregor’s surging Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Arlovski, who has a 34-24 record in professional MMA, will make his BKFC debut on June 21 in Texas against a fellow retired mixed martial artist Geronimo dos Santos.
The 46-year-old from Belarus has fought a who’s who of heavyweight greats in the world of combat sports — past and present.
He has locked horns with highly respected MMA veterans like Alistair Overeem, Stipe Miocic and Fabricio Werdum, but also current stars such as Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall.
After leaving the UFC for the first time in 2008 to fight across all of the big MMA organisations, Arlovski returned to the promotion in 2014 and shocked fans by putting together a four-fight win streak.
It looked as if another heavyweight title run was on the card, until ‘The Pitbull’ suffered five consecutive losses, which included knockout defeats to Miocic, Overeem and Ngannou.
He left the UFC for the second time in 2024, after a four-fight losing streak, and made his debut for Mike Perry‘s and Jon Jones’ Dirty Boxing promotion (an event with mixed rules), defeating Terrance Hodges via a doctor’s stoppage.
“I’m just in the beginning,” Arlovski said, speaking on the trajectory of his career after battering Hodges in a bloody victory.
“It’s wild, so I like it, [the first event] had flying punches [in boxing], it was fun.
“Plus, the introduction of ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry did a lot. So I’m very excited.
“I’m a happy fighter because I still have fire in my eyes. I just waited, and I’m excited to fight.
“It’s going to be something new for me. It’s a new page for me. I don’t [care] what’s happened in the past. It’s the past.
“Great past, of course, but I live in the present and I’m looking forward in the future, so I’m very excited.
“I’m very excited and I really appreciate strong management and their advice and [for Dirty Boxing] to give me that opportunity to turn up myself before my fight in GFL.”
Arlovski was linked with a move back into MMA under the GFL banner this year.
However, after news that the promotion had cancelled its inaugural event this month, leaving many MMA stars unemployed, ‘The Pitbull’ had to look elsewhere.
He will now enter the bare-knuckle world along with a host of fellow MMA stars.
The current BKFC heavyweight champion is former UFC fighter Ben Rothwell, who had been defeated twice in MMA by Arlovski.
Dos Santos, Arlovski’s opponent, was 44-26 during his MMA career, and the 44-year-old went viral last month when he knocked out ex-UFC heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik at BKFC Dubai.
BKFC has already ventured into the UK, hosting huge shows in Newcastle and Manchester in the last 12 months.
