Sherdog.com’s 2015 Comeback Fighter of the Year

4. Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Arlovski, once the UFC heavyweight champion and face of the division inside the Octagon, exited the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008 on a three-fight winning streak. His success had been overshadowed by his inability to beat Tim Sylvia in their trilogy. Outside the UFC, four straight defeats seemed to spell Arlovski’s competitive end. However, “The Pit Bull” patched up his career and found his way back to the UFC in 2014.

Arlovski showed glimpses of his old self with a first-round knockout against Antonio Silva, the victory sending him in to 2015 with welcomed momentum. He earned arguably the most exciting win of his career at UFC 187 in May, as he stopped Travis Browne with punches in less than five minutes. Browne did not have Arlovski’s resume, but the younger contender was favored and was also coming off of a first-round knockout. They went back and forth, threatening to drop one another before all was said and done. It was a “Round of the Year” and “Fight of the Year” candidate all wrapped into one. In 4:41, Arlovski had supercharged his career. At UFC 191 in September, Arlovski faced Frank Mir, another former heavyweight champion in the midst of a late career resurgence. They tangled for 15 hard-to-watch minutes. Despite the underwhelming nature of the fight, Arlovski emerged on a four-fight winning streak.

The 36-year-old Arlovski has found new life under coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in New Mexico, as they have the Belarusian on the brink of challenging for the UFC heavyweight title for the first time since 2006. He has been booked opposite Stipe Miocic at UFC 195 on Jan. 2, with the winner potentially emerging as the No. 1 contender for either Fabricio Werdum or Cain Velasquez.

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