'Heavy' champ eyes KO win vs old rival

MANILA, Philippines - Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has vowed to knock out old rival Tim Sylvia when they face each other for the fourth and perhaps the last time in the ONE Fighting Championship 5: Pride of Nations tomorrow at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

“I’m looking for the KO. I fought Tim a few times before. I know his strength and his weaknesses. But, I’m looking for an early KO,” the 33-year-old Arlovski told The STAR.

Arlovski, who arrived Monday night, said he prepared hard for this particular fight, which serves as the two fighters’ fourth, with Arlovski winning the first and Sylvia taking the last two.

“I’m in great shape. I worked hard for this fight. I’ve been in the gym three times a day for the past eight weeks. Trust me when I say that MMA fans can look forward to a great fight on Friday,” said Arlovski.

He also said he’s impressed with Filipino boxing icon and Rep. Manny Pacquiao and Fil-Am UFC middleweight star Mark Muñoz.

“Filipino fighters are very tough, they have great heart every time they step into a ring or a cage,” said the Belorussian. “I believe that we will see a lot of great champions come out of the Philippines. 

“Of course, Manny is one of the greatest boxers of all time,” he added.

Arlovski is one of the most celebrated and popular fighters who fought in the UFC. He reigned for a couple of years after then champion Frank Mir got into a vehicular accident.

The main bouts will feature powerful fighters in DREAM champions Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki and Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, a former UFC star in Phil Baroni and Rolles, Igor and Gregor of the legendary Gracie family, the originators of Gracie jiu-jitsu or modern day Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

The Philippine STAR is a media partner of ONE FC.

MMA fans around the world can witness the action of ONE FC online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The undercard fights are available for viewing free of charge while the main card fights will be on purchase on pay-per-view at just $9.99.

Tickets are on sale at TicketNet at www.ticketnet.com.ph or at all TicketNet outlets located at the SM department store customer service area and at the Big Dome ticket booth.

For inquiries and reservations, call +63 911 5555. Tickets are priced at P4,770 for VIP experience seating, which includes exclusive red carpet entrance as well as access to the VIP lounge. Other tickets are pegged at P2,120, P1,060, P690, P530 and P215, respectively. All applicable service charges apply.