Hamburg, Germany – UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ARLOVSKI vs. BARNETT takes place this Saturday live on UFC FIGHT PASS®. Here’s what the stars have to say ahead of their bouts:
Andrei Arlovski: “I’m very excited about the fight. He’s tough. He’s very dangerous and it’s going to be a very good fight. He’s a very well rounded fighter and has good striking. I’ve trained hard for this fight. I spent a lot of time with my boxing coach, wrestling coach and kickboxing coach. Greg Jackson created a great game plan for this. I’m ready to go.”
Josh Barnett: “I personally asked for this fight because if it didn’t happen now, I didn’t know there would ever be a chance for it to happen. It wasn’t a matter of there being any personal agenda. It just had to do with this being a big fight that the fans want and I would like. This is a legacy fight. You can’t just invent more Andrei Arlovskis to fight—there’s only one. I wanted to have this fight before there was no possibility of it happening.”
Alexander Gustafsson: “He’s stepping up in competition. It’s a whole other level of fighting in terms of skill and tempo. It’s a whole different world for him. I’m very excited for the fight and I can’t wait to fight the best Jan Blachowicz. My skill set is above whatever he has to bring. It’s going to be a hell of a fight, but I’ll be the winner.”
Jan Blachowicz: “I’m really excited about this fight. I’m preparing for the best Alex ever and I’m the best I’ve ever been. We’ve trained together, but I am a completely different fighter now. Alex and I are not decision fighters. If I want to win, I’m going to have to stop him. It’s going to be a good night for me. It’s the fight of my life.”
Ryan Bader: “I’ve been in the Octagon with the who’s who of MMA. He looks at this as his opportunity to enter the top 10 and take my spot. That’s not going to happen. I’m hungry after a loss in my last fight. I want to get in there and prove myself again. All the guys at light heavyweight have power—he’s had a few knockouts. He’s big and strong, but so is every light heavyweight. Big guys with small gloves—you don’t want to get hit by any of us. I face this every time out. I’m not fazed by it at all.”
Ilir Latifi: “This is something I’ve been working towards for a long time and it’s nice to see the results of my training. This is just another fight towards my main goal, which is the title. I’m happy to be here. I don’t know exactly how the fight will go, but I’ve prepared myself for whatever happens. Both of us have our strengths and it’s going to be an exciting fight. Bader has been around for a while and fought the top guys. He is my toughest fight. I’m very excited for it.”
UFC FIGHT NIGHT® main card will air live on UFC FIGHT PASS Saturday starting at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The prelims kick off at 11:45 a.m. ET/8:45 a.m. PT.
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