UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera

#2. UFC heavyweight division: Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake Collier

Despite being in his 40's, Andrei Arlovski is somehow still ticking along

To say it still feels surprising to see Andrei Arlovski on a UFC main card, let alone in a co-headline bout, in 2022 would be a massive understatement. We’re now not only almost two decades past his run as heavyweight champion, but more than a decade past the point most observers considered him finished.

‘The Pitbull’ is of course past his prime now, which makes sense given he’s 43 years old. However, he’s still in fantastic shape for a fighter of his age, has maintained a strong cardio base, and is technically sound enough on the feet to pick apart more plodding foes.

Arlovski can definitely be beaten, as we saw when Tom Aspinall and Jairzinho Rozenstruik took him out. However, it takes an explosive, quick fighter to do that, and right now he’s on a three-fight win streak.

So can Jake Collier join that list of fighters who’ve been able to dispatch ‘The Pitbull’, or is he more of a Jared Vanderaa or Chase Sherman?

While ‘The Prototype’ did defeat Sherman via rear-naked choke in his most recent outing, the truth is that he’s probably closer to that kind of level than he is to Aspinall (who stopped him in 2020) or Rozenstruik.

A former middleweight, Collier bulked up and became almost unrecognizable after three years away from the octagon between 2017 and 2020. Since then he’s picked up wins over Gian Villante and Sherman, while dropping fights to Carlos Felipe and Aspinall.

At 6’3”, he isn’t the smallest heavyweight on the roster, but it is safe to say that he possesses a far smaller frame than Arlovski. In turn, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the smaller frame and added weight makes him somewhat plodding on the feet.

Collier probably does possess the punching power to take out ‘The Pitbull’, but then so did Vanderaa and Felipe, and both men were simply too slow to catch the veteran cleanly. With that considered, there’s no evidence to suggest that Collier is any quicker or better than them, and so the pick is Arlovski via decision.

The Pick: Arlovski via decision