UFC Fight Night - Arlovski vs Barnett: 7 Points to Note

1- Age doesn’t catch up with Josh Barnett

Barnett, a threat to the heavyweight division?

Fighting in the Octagon is a tough job, which doesn’t always assure a promising future. Keeping the risk in mind, it is impressive to see an athlete compete at the highest level of MMA beyond the prime age.

Josh Barnett is a true veteran of the sport who left the spectators something to remember with at UFC Fight Night 93. At the age 38, it is highly unusual to see many fighters succeed when compared to young stars like Jon Jones, Conor McGrgor, Dominick Cruz. The Babyfaced Assasin, however, proved his critics wrong when he dominated and submitted Andre Arlovski with a rear-naked-submission to pick up the victory.

We rarely see a fighter nearing their forties do any better than bearly survive in the cage, well unless you are somebody like Dan Henderson or Randy Couture to whom age opposes to swindle.

We’ve seen the likes of Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz step away from the Octagon after several losses in the end, but Barnett gets better.

Barnett, who became the youngest UFC heavyweight champion back in 2002, began his second stint with the company only three years ago with dominant triumphs over Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.

The match was a slugfest with Arlovski utilizing his striking skills to keep his opponent at bay, while Barnett charged forward with superior grappling skills. The Pitbull managed the range as much as possible, courtesy of his boxing skills, but his Barnett knew the counter. Realising the danger of him continuing a stand-up game, Barnett charged forward with takedowns.

While Arlovski attempted a Kimura from the standing position, he ended up on the ground with Barnett taking control with mount position. The end was near. Barnett hooked his arms around his Arlovski’s neck forcing him to tap out without wasting any time.