Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is set to step into the bare-knuckle boxing arena.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) announced on Saturday that the veteran fighter will make his debut for the promotion at BKFC 76. Arlovski is scheduled to face Geronimo dos Santos in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 21.
The 46-year-old “Pitbull” had a long and notable career in mixed martial arts, including a reign as UFC heavyweight champion after first capturing the interim title in February 2005. He concluded his most recent stint with the UFC in 2024 following a four-fight losing streak. Earlier this year, Arlovski competed in Dirty Boxing, securing a second-round stoppage victory over Terrance Hodges in March.
His opponent, Geronimo dos Santos, boasts an extensive MMA background with a record of 45-26-1. Dos Santos recently entered the BKFC fold himself, making his promotional debut in April at BKFC 41 where he stopped Aleksei Oleinik.
An earlier version of initial reports mistakenly indicated this would be Arlovski`s retirement bout; that information has been corrected.
