Andrei Arlovski got his first taste of bare-knuckle action on Saturday at BKFC 76 as he sliced and diced his way to victory over Josh Copeland.
The 46-year-old veteran rolled back the clock as he peppered Copeland with jabs and then unloaded heavier shots during many of the biggest exchanges as he opened up several cuts on his opponent’s face. By the end of the fourth round, Copeland had three or four significant gashes around his eye just pouring blood and that was enough for the referee to stop the contest.
Arlovski gets the TKO win and he wasted no time reigniting an old rivalry with reigning BKFC heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell, who he defeated twice in the past when they competed in MMA.
“This is a whole different f*cking world. It’s tough,” Arlovski said about fighting in bare-knuckle. “You have a champion Big Ben Rothwell but I beat your champ twice. So looking forward to be honest with you.
“It will be a pleasure to dance with you for the third time in the f*cking BKFC for the title. You’re a f*cking beast. You don’t scare me.”
Rothwell was in attendance and eventually made his way into the ring where he issued a stern warning to Arlovski about what would happen if he challenged him in a bare-knuckle fight.
“You better be really careful what you wish for because if you fight me like that, I’m going to end your career,” Rothwell said.
The fighters eventually faced off but also shared a handshake as a sign of respect while possibly setting up a future showdown between them.
As for the fight on Saturday, it was Copeland who actually opened the action showing no fear going after the former UFC champion with Arlovski attempting to set up his counter punches in return. A minute into the fight, Copeland hammered Arlovski with an overhand right but he absorbed the punishment well as the action continued.
As the second round got started, Arlovski tossed out a slick double jab and then complained to the referee with Copeland diving into him head first whenever they were clinched against the ropes. That earned Copeland a stiff warning before the fight restarted.
With more time passing, Arlovski was really starting to hammer Copeland whenever he stepped forward attempting to throw a combination. Arlovski was tagging Copeland repeatedly and then backing out before he could eat much in return.
Just before the third round ended, Arlovski cracked Copeland with a nasty right hand and he immediately surged forward looking to finish the fight. Copeland survived but he went back to his corner with a gruesome cut opened over his eye from the damage done by Arlovski.
Arlovski dished out even more punishment in the fourth round, continuously cracking Copeland with punches and repeatedly targeting the same area with the cuts. After the bell rang, Copeland was completely covered in his own blood and it didn’t take the doctor long looking at the cuts to determine the fight could not continue.
It was an impressive debut for Arlovski and it appears he’s already setting up a potential title fight now that he has a new home in BKFC.
