Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has sent a stark message to his old rival Fedor Emelianenko, expressing his eagerness for a long-awaited rematch.
Speaking on the Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry, Arlovski addressed the possibility of facing Emelianenko again, stating: “If he’s not scared, if he’s not [afraid], let’s fight.”
The Belarusian seemed particularly enthused about the prospect of a boxing match against Emelianenko, saying: “It’s better than MMA. So it’s [a] great place. Dirty boxing, great way you can use elbows. I love it and let’s do it.”
Arlovski, who recently competed in the inaugural Dirty Boxing Championship event, praised the new promotion’s ruleset which allows for elbows and limited ground strikes. He noted how effective elbows were in his victory at the event, stating: “I saw his bone, it was [a] big nasty cut. It was great.”
The 44-year-old veteran emphasized his longstanding interest in boxing, revealing: “Back in 2009, I even signed with Golden Boy Promotions. This was Oscar De La Hoya’s idea – to build my boxing ranks and record and fight one of the Klitschko brothers for big money.”
While a bout against Emelianenko in MMA seems unlikely at this stage, Arlovski appears determined to make the fight happen in some form. He suggested a catchweight boxing match, stating he would be willing to drop to 220-230 pounds to make it happen.
Arlovski’s challenge comes as Emelianenko has reportedly retired from competition. However, the allure of settling their old score from their 2009 Affliction bout might be enough to tempt the Russian legend back for one last outing.
As two of the most iconic heavyweights of their era, an Arlovski vs Emelianenko rematch – whether in boxing or MMA – would undoubtedly capture the imagination of fight fans worldwide.
