Don’t look now but Andrei Arlovski has picked up three wins in a row after earning a split decision over Jared Vanderaa in the featured prelim at UFC 271.
A solid start, better strikes in each round allowed Arlovski to win the fight against Vanderaa. Vanderaa struggled all night with any real offensive strategy. Although it was not the most exciting fight, Arlovski connected every time he throw his combinations. That helped Arlovski win. Two judges gave him the fight by 29-28 scores. The third judge awarded Vanderaa the same 29-28 score.
Regardless, the result still ended up in Arlovski’s favor as he wins his 33rd professional fight while moving to 5-1 overall in his past six outings.
Arlovski came into the fight riding momentum. He was quick to get out the door with several sharp shots that captured Vanderaa’s eye and placed him almost instantly on the backfoot. Vanderaa managed to take the early hits, but he seemed wary about the potential power from Arlovski. He looked strong and agile through the first round.
Although Arlovski was less active in the second round, Vanderaa still got him with better punches when they were getting into an exchange. Arlovski was also starting to establish a well-timed jab with Vanderaa attempting to counter by closing the distance but then getting stuck in the body lock on several occasions.
Although the output was not dynamic, Arlovski connected with bigger strikes and Vanderaa tried to control the centre of the cage to get back to him.
In the end it wasn’t enough as Arlovski notches his third win in a row while taking yet another step forward in the heavyweight division where he remains a perennial contender at 43 years of age.
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