Andrei Arlovski still believes he can become UFC champion but won’t stick around “to be a punching bag”

Andrei Arlovski is confident he can become UFC champion again but is uncertain how much longer he has left to compete.

Arlovski has quietly turned back the clock as he enters UFC Vegas 19 on a two-fight winning streak. He beat Tanner Boser and Philipe Lins by decision and now faces Tom Aspinall. For the former UFC heavyweight champion, he says becoming champion again is driving him.

“I want to fight as long as possible and of course, I want to be a champion,” Arlovski said at media day. “That is why I’m doing what I’m doing right now. In the last two fights, I stuck to the gameplan and I trust my coaches 100 percent. Like Nike, just do it.”

Although Andrei Arlovski wants to become champion again, he says he won’t stick around if he becomes a punching bag. He reigned over the division back in 2005 and the 42-year-old has gone 4-5 and one no-contest in his last 10. However, his chin hasn’t been a major issue as of late which is why he has continued fighting.

“Definitely I don’t want to be a punching bag for some other fighters who will make some name, records off of me,” Arlovski said. “I have two kids, I’m a smart guy. I’m old and I want to see my grandsons and smoke cigars and drink some wine in my backyard.”

If Arlovski can get his hand raised on Saturday there is a good chance he gets a ranked opponent. If he is going to become a champion again, he will need to be active and string together some wins and work his way up the ranks. That all starts on Saturday night when he faces one of the division’s top prospects in Aspinall.

Do you think Andrei Arlovski will beat Tom Aspinall at UFC Vegas 19 on Saturday?