Andrei Arlovski Returns Against Rising Knockout Artist

According to a report from MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, a heavyweight bout between former champion Andrei Arlovski and rising contender Tai Tuivasa is close to being finalized for June 9, 2018’s UFC 225, which is set to take place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Between January 2016 and June 2017, Arlovski looked to be nearing the end of the road, as he had lost five-straight fights with all five of them ending via stoppage. More recently, however, the 39-year-old has proved to have some gas left in the tank, as he’s currently riding a two-fight winning streak that includes victories over Junior Albini and Stefan Struve.

The 24-year-old Tuivasa, meanwhile, holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 7-0. Since entering the UFC this past November, he’s won back-to-back fights, stopping Rashad Coulter with a flying knee and finishing Cyril Asker with punches.

UFC 225 is currently set to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Yoel Romero. The two met for a first time last July at UFC 213 where Whittaker scored a unanimous decision victory.