Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (27-16 1 NC ) is preparing to meet Shamil Abdurakhimov (18-4) at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik. That event goes down on September 15th at Moscow’s Olimpiyskiy Arena.
The event marks the UFC’s first ever appearance in Russia. It’s no surprise that popular UFC veteran Arlovski, a fluent-Russian speaker who was born in what is now Belarus, is being called upon to make local media appearances to drum up some excitement. However, Arlovski’s recent appearance on a Russian UFC Tonight-style program didn’t go as the UFC, or their media partners, would have anticipated.