Andrei Arlovski doesn’t know how to quit.
On Saturday, February 7, the former UFC champion will look to add another accolade to his resume when he meets ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell at BKFC KnuckleMania 6 for the promotion’s undisputed heavyweight crown.
Their bare-knuckle headliner will serve as a rematch nearly seven years in the making after Arlovski scored a unanimous decision victory against Rothwell at UFC on ESPN 4 in June 2019.
Mere days before their highly anticipated sequel, Arlovski took to social media to share an inspiring message following his most recent battle with cancer.
“Cancer tried to BREAK me three times !!! Three BATTLES, three times I CHOSE TO LIVE !!! And today I AM 47 !!!!!)))) @warlovski_andrei I’m STILL HERE — BREATHING 😮💨, MOVING, FIGHTING, btw my TITLE FIGHT is FEBRUARY 7th @bareknucklefc — because GIVING UP was never AN OPTION !!!!!” Arlovski posted on Instagram, alongside a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed.
Andrei Arlovski Shares Words of Encouragement
While we have few details on Arlovski’s illness, reports revealed that he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his kidney shortly before earning a second-round stoppage against Terrance Hodges at Mike Perry’s inaugural Dirty Boxing Championship event last March.
“This situation TAUGHT me to listen MY BODY, protect my HEALTH and respect RECOVERY ❤️🩹 🙌🏼 plus OF COURSE DOCTORS 🥼 and my FAMILY @milana_arlovskaya Proud TO STAND with @thearlovskimethod — TRAINING is NOT just to be STRONG, but to STAY ALIVE. To EVERYONE who is FIGHTING right now — YOU ARE NOT ALONE !!! Keep going 👊,” Arlovski added.
Following a 58-fight run in mixed martial arts that spanned two-and-a-half decades, Arlovski has turned his attention to the world of bare-knuckle, where he earned a win over Josh Copeland in his BKFC debut.
Since then, he’s added another W to his record, defeating Kelechi Dyke in an exhibition bout under the Misfits Boxing banner. Now, ‘The Pitbull’ will trade in the gloves for a pair of hand wraps once again as he looks to become a world champion for the third time in his career.
