UFC Vegas 84: Get that money Andrei Arlovski

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Andrei Arlovski keeps on keeping on

UFC is back, baby! And by “back,” we mean back at the Apex. But, all is not lost, as the prelims are actually kind of good. That said, don’t let the featured prelim fool you, because that fight is very likely going to be bad. It’s a heavyweight fight, after all, and we know how those go when the top of the division isn’t fighting.

We can’t hate on Andrei Arlovski, though. The man is 44 years old and is commanding six-figure purses to fight whomever they put in front of him, although lately, it’s been the likes of Cortes-Acosta, Chase Sherman, Jake Collier, Jared Vanderaa, and most recently, Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Don’Tale Mayes, both of whom defeated the Belarussian former champion.

Cortes-Acosta has been fighting similar caliber opponents, so it’s not exactly out of the realm of possibility for Arlovski to get a win, but honestly, it’s starting to look like the “Pitbull” might finally be ready for the fat lady to sing. We’ll have to see how it all pans out on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the rest of the undercard to see what we’re working with:

UFC Vegas 84 Prelim card

• Andrei Arlovski  vs.  W. Cortes-Acosta 265 lbs
• M. Semelsberger  vs.  Preston Parsons 170 lbs
• Marcus McGhee  vs.  Gaston Bolaños 135 lbs
• Farid Basharat  vs.  Taylor Lapilus 135 lbs
• Westin Wilson  vs.  Jean Silva 145 lbs
• Tom Nolan  vs.  Nikolas Motta 155 lbs
• Felipe Bunes  vs.  Joshua Van 125 lbs

In case you haven’t noticed, there are some fresh faces dotting the prelims. Of those gentlemen, we think Tom Nolan and Jean Silva might be worth paying attention to. This is do or die time for Nikolas Motta who hasn’t had a very impressive run in the UFC. His opponent, Tom Nolan, is a very aggressive striker with KO power. Motta will have to dig deep if he wants to ensure his roster spot doesn’t end up in another up-and-comers hands.

Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC 296 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.

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Stephie Haynes

Stephie Haynes has been covering MMA since 2005. She has also worked for MMA promotion Proelite and apparel brand TapouT. She hosted TapouT’s official radio show for four years before joining Bloody Elbow in 2012. She has interviewed everyone there is to interview in the fight game from from Dana White to Conor McGregor to Kimbo Slice, as well as mainstream TV, film and music stars including Norman Reedus, RZA and Anthony Bourdain. She has been producing the BE podcast network since 2017 and hosts four of its current shows.

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