UFC 174: 11 Matches To Make For The Winners

4. Andrei Arlovski

If you feel that the Pitbull's return to the UFC didn't live up to expectations, you're not alone. According to Dana White, "the fans lost that fight." It's hard to disagree. There's an argument that Schaub should have taken home the win. That said, it went to Arlovski, and he seemed to press more in the first two rounds even if very little damage was done til the third, when Schaub had control from the top for most of the round yet somehow had his jaw swell up to the size of a grapefruit. Schaub needn't worry, his job is safe as he's 2-1 in his last three fights, and Arlovski, who admitted to having nerves so bad his hands shook as if it were his first fight, has the monkey off his back as far as getting a W goes. The Pitbull will hopefully come out strong is his next match. The question is, just who will that be against? Do you put him in against another young gun, or look for a veteran pairing? Soa Palelei has a fight at the end of the month against Jared Rosholt, so the winner of that would be one option. Palelei has looked like a beast so far and might prove a serious challenge for the Pitbull, while Rosholt, were he to upset Palelei, would probably be a better match for Arlovski. However, if I'm the UFC, I'm considering that Arlovski still has a name that draws, even with a tepid return fight. Frankly, from that perspective, I'd put him in with the winner of Struve-Mitrione, which takes place at UFC 175 in July. Arlovski popped into the UFC rankings at 15th thanks to the Schaub win, while Stuve is somehow ranked 12th despite sitting out over a year with a heart condition, and coming off a loss to Mark Hunt that left him with a broken jaw. Mitrione isn't ranked, but either fighter, paired with Arlovski, could probably serve as co-main event for a Fight Night event. Given how down he was on his own performance, expect a much better Arlovski to show up in his next fight, win or lose.