‘I assumed Arlovski was actually going to get the title shot’

Andrei Arlovski seems to be on the run of his career. The sixteen fight year veteran is currently riding a five fight win-streak and was expected to be on his way to a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

“The Pitbull” will have to wait for another shot at gold, however, as he will be facing fellow heavyweight Frank Mir. The clash will take place at “UFC 191” on September 5, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fans were caught off guard when it was announced that top-contender Arlovski would be facing Mir who is just cracking the top ten of the stacked division.

Mir expected to face a top ranked opponent to improve his positioning after his impressive knockout over Todd Duffee, but he never expected to face Arlovski. Mir thought “The Pitbull” was going to fight for the title, next.

“Actually, I was (surprised),” Mir said during aa UFC 191 media call. “I got the call just a few days after my fight and was asked if I would contribute to the already great card coming on Labor Day weekend. It would help the card overall, so I stepped up to the opportunity they presented me.”

Fabricio Werdum dethroned Cain Velasquez at “UFC 188” in Mexico City and Mir thought the upset would set up new matches. “I thought that actually it mixed up the division by having [Werdum] take over as the champion,” Mir said. “I thought Andrei was actually going to get the title shot, and I thought that was extremely interesting. But for Cain to get the immediate rematch, the guy is a great champion so I guess you give him that opportunity.

Transcribed by Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting

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