Andrei Arlovski Played Russian Roulette
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 6, 2009 5:20 PM EDT
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PrintFrom Fighters.com:
Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) confessed Wednesday night to playing Russian roulette, a gamble during which a revolver is loaded with a single round, the cylinder spun, and then placed against the temple. The player pulls the trigger, chancing the bullet could end their life.
“First time I was 16, second time I was 30,” said the thirty-year old former UFC heavyweight champion. “It’s when you don’t care about anything.”
This is deadly serious. He admits to breaking down and crying after his latest two losses, and now there's this self-destructive behavior. The sports psychologist and the priest he visited back home seemed to help him, but he'll need much more than a few visits, especially since he wants to continue to train under Freddie Roach. If he wants to rebuild his status as a force in the heavyweight division, he should take as much time off as possible. A dead fighter isn't good for anyone.
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Sad and very very dumb. Hopefully he takes some time off from fighting and gets some help. It would really suck to read about my favourite fighter killing himself.
www.mma-elite.com
I agree, the guy has made enough money over the last couple years that he can afford to spend some time away and gain some perspective on what’s really important to him in his life. Fighting isn’t worth it.
I don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill me... And if he does kills me, book sales will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.- Forrest Griffin on Anderson Silva
by ufc4 on Aug 6, 2009 5:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
wow.
this is very scary stuff. I hope he seeks help with a mental health professional. 1/6 is crummy odds when you’re risking everything and winning nothing.
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
I am sure it’s tough to deal with the reality of the grass not being greener
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
He wanted more money than Dana wanted to give him. Good call, Dana.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by Derek Suboticki on Aug 6, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Oh and he wanted to box.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by Derek Suboticki on Aug 7, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It was smart of Andrei to leave – he made $1.5 million in a loss to Fedor, $750K for his victory over Rothwell, $500K for his win over Roy Nelson, and he probably got something decent in the loss to Rogers.
The UFC gave him 170K for UFC 82 – even assuming he got something backstage, there’s no way he would have done better in the UFC than he did outside. He didn’t have the juice on PPV for the big money.
To be fair
He was on the downslope of an old contract when that amount of money was pretty major income. He would have definitely went up to 500-600k if not for the boring last several fights of his deal. The UFC probably wanted to keep him, but couldn’t justify it at the time. They were afraid he’d become an albatross. I’d love him to come back now, though.
I STILL poop rainbows.
The UFC tried very hard to keep Arlovski but he wanted to try boxing and Dana wouldn’t let him. Here’s Dana’s quotes:
“In nine years, there’s only one fighter that I’ve lost that I didn’t want to lose. That was (Andrei) Arlovski, and it still bothers me.”
“I jumped on a plane and flew to Chicago with Lorenzo (Fertitta) and kissed his butt to try to make him not leave.”
“He wanted to box on HBO. He had a lot of different things that he wanted to do that I couldn’t let him do.”
Arlovski would have received a big raise if he had stayed in the UFC. As much as he got from Affliction? Probably not, but he could have made a lot more in sponsorships in the UFC.
I don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill me... And if he does kills me, book sales will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.- Forrest Griffin on Anderson Silva
by ufc4 on Aug 6, 2009 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Still
I really feel that his last few performances had a lot to do with it. They would have shown more resistance to letting him leave, but he was on a hard downward slope in popularity/marketable fights.
I STILL poop rainbows.
I understand that you are trying to be funny, but I don’t think that this is the right time or place to make that comment especially when this is obviously a very serious post.
Tough for Arlovski though. When that guy is on his game, he looks incredible (I saw him vs Ben Rothwell and Arlovski looked like the Arlovski of old). Beating O’ Brien, Werdum, Rothwell, and Nelson in a row (before losing to Fedor of course) is a pretty big feat in the Heavyweight Division. Hopefully, he can come back and get over this.
by chrisbboy82 on Aug 6, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Who said I'm joking
And thanks for the lecture, dad.
Russian Roulette is often played with multiple individuals, often until the round fires. Someone could have lost slash died.
I STILL poop rainbows.
My brother’s best friend did when they were 11.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
I’m not going to discuss it at length here, but I was just outside of a room where this happened when I was a teenager.
I STILL poop rainbows.
I did it...
No other players in the room….. just me.
I can’t compare the severity of my rock bottom and his, but I do hope he can turn this around and see the beauty of life. I wouldn’t have my wife and my daughter right now if I had “lost”.
No further comments on Bruce Wayne.
Where do kids that young get access to a gun? Dear god, talk about wonderful parents.
I don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill me... And if he does kills me, book sales will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.- Forrest Griffin on Anderson Silva
I thought you said he did it when he was 11?
I don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill me... And if he does kills me, book sales will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.- Forrest Griffin on Anderson Silva
What the hell, AA...
I hope he talks to someone about this. We’ve lost one too many fighters recently. He’s not too old to turn things around. Maybe he just needs some time away from the game. I hope he gets it together. It (MMA) is not worth taking your life over.
Andrei don't pull a Karo
Take some time off, you made a ton of money off of Affliction so buy a nice house and enjoy your life.
Damn, I like AA and think he is still a viable contender. Yes Roger ko’d him, but he should be able to overcome that with a little side to side movement. The thing is, he was looking very good against Fedor, until he decided to deviate from his game plan.
www.knees2thehead.com
Check it out!!
He needs to channel his inner Jack Dempsey. Start chewing on pine bark and strengthen the jaw and get some neck workouts going.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 6, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
When I saw this in fanposts, i was like "what a bad pun"
but no, he literally played russian roulette.
damn, dude, somebody go give AA a call.
by judonerd on Aug 6, 2009 6:42 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
wow
tough times. someone should make a “andrei arlovski appreciation” fanpost, with people talking about their favorite moments of his… and then send it to him. guy needs to realize how many people are really pulling for him to succeed, even after those recent losses.
and hopefully his friends and family are aware of this quote, and looking into getting him some professional help. hell… i bet dana would even foot the bill for it if he heard about this. the guy might not be in the ufc anymore, but he provided some spectacular moments for them when he was.
by woooburn on Aug 6, 2009 7:08 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Well...
This sucks for AA. One thing I wish he’d do… get back to his roots with a little Sambo.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 6, 2009 7:14 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Yeah dude. Fuck boxing, he doesn’t have the chin for it. It’d be cool to see him go do some damage in some Sambo competitions and then come back after the heat from his consecutive losses dies down.
I STILL poop rainbows.
Bring back the leg locks, ANDREI
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 6, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
He turned 30 on Feb 4th 2009
So, he either played russian roulette after the Fedor or Rogers loss (if he’s being honest). Maybe this makes him seem more like a real person with real emotions and all of that crap, but this makes me lose some respect for him. He’s a millionare, he’s famous, and he beds Playboy chicks. What else do you expect out of your life by age 30? Maybe he’s just looking for attention/sympathy, but this isn’t the right way to do it.
by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Aug 7, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions
Pleasure does not equal happiness.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
by Mike Fagan on Aug 7, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Happiness comes in small doses folks. It’s a cigarette butt or a chocolate chip cookie or a five second orgasm. You come, you smoke the butt, you eat the cookie, you go to sleep, wake up, and go back to fucking work the next morning, THAT’S IT! End of fucking list!
- Dr. Denis Leary
Andrei needs to make an appointment.
by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Aug 7, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
This just proves my point about the money not being as important as the fight. Andre’s got enough cold hard cash to retire on and yet he still thinks about his losses. I feel for the guy. I mentioned a while back that we, as internet MMA know it alls, just can’t concieve what goes through a fighters mind before or after a fight, especially one of the best guys in the world after he gets KO’d a few spots down the rankings.
After his devastating second knockout loss, Arlovski returned to his native Belarus. "I talked to some priest. He read me a poem," Arlovski related. He also spent couch time with a sports psychologist to the Russian Olympic wrestling team and communed with his family.
"I cried a lot after my fights, you know. When I lost to Fedor, I cried. When I lost to Rogers, I cried. You might be surprised, but I had tears a lot in my last relationship," Arlovski told, referencing his relationship with Playboy model Patricia Mikula.
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