Andrei Arlovski returns to the Octagon on February 20 against Tom Aspinall

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski returns to the Octagon on February 20 against rising prospect Tom Aspinall.

On Tuesday, Arlovski vs. Aspinall i was officially announced for the February 20 card, which is headlined by a five-round heavyweight contest between top-five contenders Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes. It’s a great matchup between a former champion in the Belarusian Arlovski and a rising star in the Brit Aspinall.

Check out the official fight announcement via the UFC Europe Twitter.

https://twitter.com/UFCEurope/status/1346508250485825537

Arlovski (30-19-2) has been fighting at the highest level of the sport for well over 20 years, but even at age 41, he continues to defy the odds and win fights. In his last outing, Arlovski picked up a unanimous decision win over Tanner Boser as a big underdog. He also defeated Phillipe Lins earlier this year at UFC Jacksonville, so overall Arlovski is on a two-fight win streak. He’s actually won three of his last four fights, with a win over Ben Rothwell in 2019.

Aspinall (9-2) is a rising star in the UFC heavyweight division. The 27-year-old Brit is currently riding a five-fight win streak and he’s a perfect 2-0 in the UFC with KO wins over Jake Collier and Alan Baudot. Aspinall is one of the top young boxers in the division who possesses legitimate KO power in his hands. Aspinall looks like someone who could be a future star in the division and it seems like the UFC is building him up the right way based on his matchmaking.

Arlovski is not currently ranked in the top-15, but he’s a respected veteran of the sport and he would be the biggest name on Aspinall’s resume should he get by him. For Aspinall, it’s the opportunity to get a win over a former UFC champion and move closer to the rankings, while for Arlovski a third straight win would show that once again the old dog still has tricks up his sleeve.

Who do you think wins, Andrei Arlovski or Tom Aspinall?