Andrei Arlovski explains desire to continue fighting after UFC exit, reveals newborn baby as driving force going forward

Andrei Arlovski has shed light upon his decision to continue his combat sports career after his UFC departure. The Belarusian-American martial artist suggested that his newborn child is one of the primary reasons he's motivated to keep competing as a fighter.

Arlovski's final octagon appearance was at UFC 303 last weekend, at which he suffered a split decision defeat against Martin Buday. Many viewed it as the end of 'The Pitbull's' combat sports career.

In a subsequent Instagram post, he acknowledged his UFC release but asserted that he'll continue fighting.

In a post-UFC 303 appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Andrei Arlovski was asked about why he still wants to fight. The 45-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion answered by stating:

"I wanna beat couple more records."

When questioned about which records he was referring to, Arlovski cited the example of boxing legend Bernard Hopkins, who retired at 51.

'The Pitbull' implied that he won't fight into his 50s but becoming a world champion in his 40s is still a dream he harbors. Moreover, he noted that he has three children to provide for, including a newborn daughter:

"One of them -- Bernard Hopkins. He fought at 48, last fight. And he was a champion, I feel, he won the fight. And, obviously, 'Uncle Dana' [UFC CEO Dana White] helped me to buy a new house. But I need to pay bills, and I got newborn baby. So, I need to do something, like, couple more years."

Check out Arlovski's comments below:

Watch Andrei Arlovski's complete interview below (comments about the decision to continue fighting at 13:48):

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Former UFC star Andrei Arlovski hints at fighting again in 2024

Andrei Arlovski made his professional MMA debut in April 1999 and his maiden UFC fight transpired at UFC 28 (Nov. 2000). The skilled Sambo practitioner and kickboxer achieved tremendous success in the UFC, becoming the interim UFC heavyweight champion and then the UFC heavyweight champion.

After losing the UFC heavyweight title in his rematch against archrival Tim Sylvia and coming up short in their trilogy fight, Arlovski returned to his winning ways. He strung together a three-fight win streak.

The final fight of his first UFC stint came in March 2008, following which he competed in other promotions such as Affliction, EliteXC, Strikeforce, ONE Championship, and WSOF, to name a few.

The KO artist returned to the UFC in June 2014 and rose to the upper echelons of the division on multiple occasions. As noted, his second UFC run came to a close at UFC 303 on June 29.

Around the 19:05-minute mark of his aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, Arlovski was asked whether his next combat sports contest would be an MMA bout or a fight in another sport. The former UFC heavyweight kingpin responded by ambiguously noting that "it's going to be something."

Furthermore, when probed if his next fight would come to fruition this year, he asserted:

"This year? Most likely yes."