The UFC 303 mixed martial arts tournament ended in the United States. On the preliminary card of the tournament, the legendary veteran of the organization Andrei Orlovsky fought. The Belarusian fighter lost to Martin Budai by split decision; At the post-tournament press conference, league boss Dana White said this was Orlovsky’s last fight in the organization.
Andrei Orlovsky is undoubtedly a legend of mixed martial arts, whose professional career began in the last century. Orlovsky had his first fight in 1999 and lost to Vyacheslav Datsik; then, however, the paths of the fighters diverged in completely different directions. Andrey recovered from his loss to Datsik, had a streak of three victories and already in 2000 found himself in the UFC. Think about it: albeit with interruptions, Andrei spent almost a quarter century in the UFC. Fantastic indicators that allowed the Belarusian to occupy second place in the number of fights played (42, only surpassed by Jim Miller, who has 44) and second place in the number of victories (23, only surpassed by Jim Miller, who has 44). 26). Well, among the heavyweights, it is undoubtedly the best in these indicators.
UFC 303 highlights:
UFC 303: Pereira knocks out Prochazka! The poor Czech barely stood up
Orlovsky’s career has always been undulating. Winning streaks gave way to disappointing defeats, but Andrei always remained on top. In 2005, he became interim UFC heavyweight champion and then absolute champion, but left the league in 2008. A year later, probably one of Orlovsky’s most famous fights for Russian viewers took place – he met with another legend. of MMA, Fedor Emelianenko. Andrey was very motivated to win, he started the fight actively, but then he received a crushing blow from the Last Emperor and it ended in a boring knockout. This defeat started a chain of unsuccessful performances for Orlovsky, he suffered three defeats in a row. But Andrey managed to get back on a winning streak, performing in various leagues – from Strikeforce to Fight Nights.
Andrei Orlovsky
Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
In 2014, six years later, Orlovsky returned to the UFC. Over the past 10 years, Andrei has been playing in the best league in the world. Having scored four victories in a row, Orlovsky fell under the elite of the heavyweight division: the Belarusian fighter fought with Alistair Overeem, Stipe Miocic, Josh Barnett, Francis Ngannou and lost to all of them. At the same time, Orlovsky, as before, alternated unsuccessful series with excellent performances, which helped him stay in the UFC, despite his age. At 41, he shared the cage with the current interim champion of the league, Tom Aspinall, lost to him, but then had a streak of four wins in a row. And this is in the fifth decade!
It seemed that Orlovsky was eternal, like his career. When he re-entered the octagon, this surprised no one. But still, age made itself felt, as did the large number of fights held in the heavyweight division, where every blow carries colossal danger. In the last two years, Andrei fought four fights and lost them all. Unfortunately, he will no longer be able to start a new winning streak in the UFC: Dana White announced Orlovsky’s departure from the organization.
Orlovsky gives an excellent example outside the octagon:
A 43-Year-Old UFC Veteran Saved a Girl from Unruly Immigrants!
Andrey did not officially end his career, but he did part ways with the best promotion in the world. 42 fights in the UFC, 23 of which were victories. Fantastic numbers. Orlovsky alone has nearly three times as many wins in the promotion as interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has in the organization. The Brit had just started school, while Andrei was already competing in the UFC.
Yes, maybe Orlovsky didn’t become a UFC superstar, but at the same time he fought all of the promotion’s top opponents over the years. Yes, and he was a champion; What’s more, only a few achieve that. Andrey will leave the UFC for the second time, and this time probably for good. The 45-year-old veteran has forever written his name into the promotion’s history and when he hangs up his gloves, he will surely end up in the UFC Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, judging by the latest interviews, Orlovsky’s career in the UFC is only over: Andrei is going to compete in martial arts for a couple more years, a real long-liver athlete.
