Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers
The evening’s third matchup is a surefire slugfest between former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski and EliteXC veteran Bret “The Grim” Rogers. Both men have an abundance of knockout power, so the likelihood of this one going the distance is slim to none.
Brett Rogers is most notable for calling Kimbo Slice pathetic at a post fight press conference and for launching James Thompson’s head into an independent orbit during their EliteXC matchup. Rogers’ punching power is unquestionable, and he is a physically imposing figure who is more than capable of bullying most opponents physically. He is 9-0 thusfar in his career, but Arlovski is an absolutely huge step up in competition. With a chin that has never really been tested and a lack of top-level competition, this is a make or break fight for Rogers. A win would cement him as one of the top heavyweights outside of UFC, and an embarassing defeat will make him look like a mediocre guy who inflated his record against poor competition.
Former UFC champ Arlovski needs very little introduction. A human highlight reel with the kind of punching power that gives guys nightmares, Arlovski’s career has been an up and down road. For a while, he looked like a one-man wrecking crew in UFC, chalking up vicious KO after vicious KO. Two losses to Tim Sylvia and a few uninspired performances, however, sent his stock plummeting, and he was unceremoniously cut from UFC. As it turned out, a change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered, and Arlovski went on another tear, annihilating quality opponents in Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson. In his last outing, though, Arlovski’s momentum was yet again halted, when he got absolutely destroyed by a Fedor Emelianenko counter punch after attempting an ill-advised flying knee in a round he was, until that point, handily winning. Arlovski’s striking looked incredible against Emelianenko, but his lack of a chin yet again cost him.
This one is going to come down to Arlovski’s level of aggression. If he jumps on Rogers out of the gate, using his superior handspeed and accuracy, this is going to be an ugly fight for “The Grim.” Rogers has more than enough power, though, to put the notoriously glass-jawed Arlovski in a coma with a single power punch. That puncher’s chance probably won’t be enough, however, as Arlovki’s vast edge in both technique and experience will win the day.
Arlovski by brutality, early round 1.
