There aren’t many people in the world willing to fight in the UFC at 42 years old, but Andrei Arlovski could prove age is no barrier against Carlos Felipe.
Saturday’s fight at UFC Vegas 40 could not only be Arlovski’s last, but provide a kick-start to the career of Felipe, who could do with a statement performance.
UFC Fight Night odds are available for the fight, which has Felipe as the slight -120 favorite.
Arlovski Keeps on Trucking
Despite being 53 fights deep into his MMA career, the Belarusian continues to fight at a high level.
The only time he has been concerned about his job was when the UFC cut some notable heavyweights in April, including former champions Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos. However, despite being a 42-year-old, Arlovski made the cut.
The UFC’s faith in Arlovski was repaid when he defeated Chase Sherman. It came via decision, which annoyed him.
“My worried thoughts were about the UFC might kick me out,” Arlovski told MMA Junkie. “Because I knew I had a great camp before that fight, and I was ready. I knew I was going to beat this guy, but just something happened, and wow.
“Because at the end of the first round, he was tired, and I was ready to do my stuff in the second and third round and takedown – I’m still upset about this.”
Andrei Arlovski fight week 👊🏻🇧🇾👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/oWuCoZVyyw
— Kieran 🇨🇦 (@mmatrout) October 11, 2021
Despite not getting the finish, it was the 31st win of his career. The warhorse bounced back from a second-round submission loss to Tom Aspinall in February, and it could have prolonged his career.
The sportsbook has Arlovski as the -110 underdog. He has more experience than his opponent, but 16 years different in age could be telling. Age has never been a boundary for him, but there could come a point where he loses his quickness.
Felipe isn’t a knockout artist, so it could become a test of fitness. That would give the advantage to Arlovski, who is like the Energizer bunny.
Respecting Felipe’s Record
We have to respect Carlos Felipe’s 11-1 record. He hasn’t fought the biggest names in the business, but he’s still making a name for himself.
The Brazilian comes off three consecutive decision wins, so he hasn’t been able to put a fighter away. It’s a concern going forward, especially for a heavyweight. His first fight in the UFC was a decision loss to Sergey Spivak, so he has had trouble beating the Eastern Europeans.
He has the shorter reach, and he’s the shorter fighter on the feet, so he could struggle to get inside the guard of Arlovski. Bookmakers are respecting him in betting online markets, but the support could be record-based.
Having an imposing record is great, but he has yet to prove himself against the toughest in the game. Arlovski makes a strong claim for being the most durable heavyweight in UFC history, and he doesn’t appear to be tiring.
Felipe isn’t a volume puncher. He threw only 192 when beating Jake Collier, who threw 281. Despite getting hit on 36 more occasions, the judges gave Felipe the win.
We don’t think it’s going to be that simple this time around.
Arlovski vs Felipe Pick
There is excellent value with Andrei Arlovski, who is one of our UFC best bets for the week.
He might be close to retirement, but as long as he keeps winning, we’re confident he’ll continue to fight.
Carlos Felipe has the cleaner record, but it’s inflated against inferior opponents. He has yet to face anyone like Arlovski, who doesn’t go down easily.
Bettors get value odds at -110, and we could see late support for the underdog.
