ANDRE ARLOVSKI – THE PITBULL

If it were up to Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski, he would fight Fedor tomorrow. Arlovski, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is set to battle current WAMMA Heavyweight Champion, Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, at Affliction M-1 “Day Of Reckoning” on Saturday, January 24 at Honda Center and live on Pay-Per-View. The Belarus native, who normally resides in Chicago, chose to train in Los Angeles with a world-class team, convinced that the change of environment would be extremely beneficial to his preparation for the fight. 

The blockbuster team Arlovski has assembled is aimed at addressing every aspect of his training needs and includes renowned boxing trainers Freddie Roach and Michael Garcia, wrestling coaches Sean Bormet and John Kading, Jiu-Jitsu coach Dino Costeas, and conditioning coach Alex Ariza. With a world class training team like this in his corner, Arlovski is taking the challenge seriously and is well-prepared for the biggest fight of his career.  

“I have dedicated myself to a strict, but sensible training regimen that has worked really well for me,” said Arlovski. “Everyone on my team has worked hard to give me what I need to prepare for this important fight with Fedor and to take the WAMMA championship belt away from him.” 

ARLOVSKI CAMP NOTES:

Arlovski is preparing with a team of trainers, each with an understanding of the role they play as part of a cohesive team. Every morning Arlovski spends an hour working on his conditioning-running, strength and balance. At 1:00 p.m. he is back at the gym working on his stand-up game.  Roach, famous for studying fight tapes and dissecting fighters’ weaknesses, has been feeding Arlovski vital information about Fedor’s vulnerabilities and helping him develop a game plan for the upcoming bout. Arlovski also spars three times a week-Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday-in addition to pad work, jumping rope, or working the speed and heavy bags. In the evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Arlovski works on his ground work.     

In addition to his training team, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza plays a crucial role in Arlovski’s preparation. Hired just over a year ago by Roach, Ariza has worked with some of the biggest names in boxing (Manny Pacquiao, Diego Corrales, Erik Morales and Peter Manfredo), as well as some of the best in MMA. Ariza is working on reducing some of Arlovski’s upper body bulkiness, building muscle in his legs and bringing his weight to under 240 lbs. The results have thus far paid off, providing the heavyweight with more range and less stiffness, while still maintaining his natural speed. 

Unlike Fedor, who does not maintain a strict or specific diet while preparing for a fight, other than cutting out junk food, Arlovski’s diet, which consists of seven to eight small meals a day, is closely monitored by Ariza. Arlovski’s intake is highly restricted, limited to eggs, fish, chicken, steak and protein supplements. Each Monday, body composition testing is done to determine his muscle to fat ratio.

“The goal is to actually increase his fat content toward the end of training,” Ariza says. “While we don’t expect the fight will go a full five rounds, we are prepared for it and I want his body to have a little extra fat to give him a lot of extra energy.”

Affliction M-1 “Day Of Reckoning“– Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and brought to you by Affliction Entertainment and its partners, Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global, Affliction M-1 “Day of Reckoning” is scheduled for January 24 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA and live on Pay-Per-View.  The loaded fight card includes 11 rousing bouts of fierce, full-throttle action headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski. The six-fight blockbuster PPV telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, features MMA stars Josh Barnett, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Chris Horodecki and Matt Lindland in separate bouts.

CONTACT YOUR PAY PER VIEW PROVIDER TO ORDER!As a prelude to the highly anticipated PPV telecast, HDNet will televise live beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT five additional fights with the marquee match-up of Antonio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko as the main event.