Jeff Smith 
@adminIt was confirmed that Andrei Arlovski will be added to the card to face Chase Sherman at the upcoming UFC on ESPN 22 on April 17th. This comes as, for unknown reasons, Parker Porter was forced to back out.
Both men took to social media Wednesday and confirmed the match.
Chase has recently returned to the UFC after almost two years fighting for Square Ring Promotions. He had lost his previous three fights before departing the UFC but seems to have gotten his career back on track.
In his three fights with SRP, he scored impressive first-round TKOs getting him another shot in the UFC. In his return to the UFC at UFC Fight night 171 he once again scored a TKO in the second round against Isaac Villanueva.
“The Vanilla Gorilla” has now gone from having to face a journeyman fighter to fighting an ex-champion. Even though it has been almost 15 years since he wore the belt, it can still be a little intimidating.
While it is true that Arlovski is 11 years older than Chase, the “old man” can still fight. He had won three of his previous four matches and was looking for a comeback before his last fight. “The Pitbull” came up against #13 ranked Tom Aspinall at UFC Fight Night 185, and ended up in a rear naked chokehold and had to submit.
With just over a week to prepare for the fight and only three months after losing his last bout, one has to wonder if the ageing fighter will hold up. If the fight goes the full three rounds his conditioning may be a factor. If Arlovski can get Sherman on the ground he should have the advantage, but he is giving up 10lbs and some reach to the younger fighter.
The change in opponent has not been a blessing for Sherman as he has gone from the favorite to the underdog. Against Porter, Sherman was -157 to win now he is +115. While this is not a huge drop, going from the favorite to underdog can affect one’s mentality.
Although “The Vanilla Gorilla” has more time to prepare for the fight, the change in opponent means a change in tactics. And going against some as experienced as the former champion you have to have a solid strategy.
Even with so little time to prepare, the odds-makers put Arlovski at -156 to win. This shows how much respect for “The Pitbull’s” fighting ability people have. Sherman does appear to have a winning record of 15-6, most of those wins are not in the UFC where the competition is much higher. In fact, he has a losing record in the UFC of 3-5.
Overall this should be an interesting fight with both fighters looking to prove something, Sherman wants to show he belongs in the UFC. And for Arlovski, the “old man” is looking to show the fighting world he is still a force to be reckoned with.
