Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will compete at the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's highly-anticipated return to Singapore on June 17.
The 38-year-old Belarusian has a 25-14 win-loss professional MMA record and is the division's eighth-ranked fighter.
He headlined UFC's Rotterdam event last May and will take on Polish fighter Marcin Tybura in one of the five fights the UFC announced yesterday.
He said: "I'm excited to be fighting in Singapore. I am looking forward to coming out with a victory and putting on an exciting show for the fans."
The UFC Fight Night Singapore, to be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, marks the organisation's first live event here since 2014, and will feature 12 fights.
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UFC FIGHT NIGHT S'PORE
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HEAVYWEIGHT
Andrei Arlovski (Bel) v Marcin Tybura (Pol)
LIGHTWEIGHT
Takanori Gomi (Jpn) v Jon Tuck (USA)
FLYWEIGHT
Ulka Sasaki (Jpn) v Justin Scoggins (USA)
BANTAMWEIGHT
Kwan Ho Kwak (Kor) v Russell Doane (USA)
HEAVYWEIGHT
Cyril Asker (Fra) v Walt Harris (USA)
UFC will announce the main and co-main events at a later date.
A host of Asian fighters have been pencilled in on the Singapore card.
Japanese fighters Takanori Gomi (lightweight) and Ulka Sasaki (flyweight) will take on Americans Jon Tuck and Justin Scoggins respectively, while South Korean bantamweight Kwan Ho Kwak will clash against America's Russell Doane.
Cyril Asker of France will take on American Walt Harris in the heavyweight category.
Several popular MMA websites have also reported that former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm, who handed Ronda Rousey her first loss inside the Octagon in 2015, could feature in Singapore against rising Korean star Kim Ji Yeon.
However, MMA website bjpenn.com reported yesterday that Holm, 35, had declined the offer. The UFC has yet to confirm this.
Local fans were holding out hope that Holm will make an appearance. IT system administrator Janette Lim, 33, is a big fan of Holm and said: "I don't care who she fights, she must come. Maybe because she has lost three fights in a row, she would take on anyone.
"She's already been to Australia to fight (in November 2015), so I am hoping that she comes here."
Alvin Chia
- Tickets for the Singapore event are now available at Sports Hub Tix.
