At the time of this interview, UFC World Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski is relaxing in Chicago, sitting back in his manager’s office, after a gruelling spar with his boxing partner.

There’s a fortnight remaining before Andrei takes on Paul Buentello at UFC 55: Fury. Although Arlovski tends to cease lifting weights one month prior to a fight, he is still in top gear with his sparring and cardio work – training twice a day to defend his world title on October 7. And he doesn’t intend easing the intensity until some time next week.

The native of Minsk, Belarus, who is now living and fighting out of Chicago, never underestimates an opponent and is preparing for anything Buentello may bring to the battlefield. "The main thing for me is to win the fight – whether it’s standing up or on the ground. And I’m going to try to dictate the way the bout is fought, but again, my aim is to win the fight rather than focusing on how I accomplish the victory," says Arlovski.

"Obviously I don’t reveal how I plan to win, prior to any fight, but I usually don’t change my style of fighting, and I’m always prepared to meet my opponent both on the ground and standing. Basically, I’ve worked very hard at boxing and jiu jitsu, so my goal is to be ready for any scenario."

Although Buentello knocked out Justin Eilers in the first round at UFC 51: Super Saturday, Andrei is taking nothing away from Eilers: "Every heavyweight in the UFC is a tough opponent. Justin has shown tremendous courage. He can absorb a lot of punishment and he has very heavy hands. His punches can be devastating.

Andrei Arlovski vs Justin Eilers at UFC 51

"At the same time, Paul is a tough adversary and he has knocked out a lot of his opponents. The difference between Eilers and Buentello is that instead of Paul throwing heavy punches, he throws a series of punches and he’s very good with combinations. Although Paul defeated Justin, to say which fighter is tougher or which one is a better-class opponent would be difficult, because anybody’s punch could knock another fighter out in the UFC.

"The next match between Justin and Paul could be completely different. That’s why this sport is so unique - unlike boxing, it’s so unpredictable. But again, I’m aware of the strengths of both men and I’m working hard in order to beat Paul Buentello."

On the same card as the Buentello vs Eilers bout, Andrei and Tim Sylvia were scheduled for their showdown, and Arlovski went on to submit Sylvia with a foot lock at 0.47 into round one. Tim then bounced back at UFC 54, defeating Tra Telligman and showing he had greatly worked on his skills since his loss to Arlovski at UFC 51. Should UFC pit Tim against Andrei again, Arlovski says he would gladly accept the challenge.

"After our first fight, Tim basically said he took me lightly and that he did not prepare for the fight. And that’s why he said he lost the fight: because he wasn’t well conditioned. Tim is a great fighter and a tough adversary, but I’d gladly give him the opportunity to fight me again if that’s what UFC decides.

"And I’d certainly welcome the opportunity to face Frank Mir. We’re here to fight, to make money, and to put on a show for the fans because they are the ones who essentially must get the most out of this…But yes, I’d be very happy to fight Tim Sylvia again. Last time he made the remark that he wanted me to keep the belt shining, and I want to assure Tim that I am taking very good care of it."

"Every heavyweight in UFC is a tough opponent"

"I’d like to thank all my fans and supporters for being there for me, and for believing in me, because I wouldn’t be able to accomplish what I have without them. Everything I do, I do for them.

"I’d also like to thank my close friends and team mates who have helped me prepare for my fights on a daily basis. I’m going to try not to disappoint anybody, and continue with the job I’ve done in the past."

"I’d like to thank my sponsors because they’ve been of tremendous assistance in making it possible for me to be here in the United States, and they’ve created a comfort zone for my livelihood while I’m preparing for the fights.

"Thanks to Joe Gold and Full Contact Fighter, POW training facility, Dino Costeas, Sifu Dino Spencer, my sparring partner – Carl Davis, my boxing trainer – Mike Garcia, Leo and Arthur at Prestige Auto, Juan Tamayo at Tamayo Financial, and Michael Lopatinsky. Scott Sturges from Dreamsoft is designing a web site for me, which will be up and running very soon.

"And I’d like to add that I’m happy to talk with sponsors who’d be interested in bringing me to Australia for any appearances."

Andrei arlovski works hard to take good care of the belt

For more on UFC 55: Fury – www.ufc.tv.

Great News! Now officially launched www.arlovski.tv

On April 15, 2006, UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski will be stepping into the Octagon to defend his title against former champion Tim Sylvia. But what does Andrei do when he’s not putting his belt on the line?

"I like to read, go out to nice restaurants and listen to music. But quite frankly, I don’t have a lot of free time. Right now, I’m doing a lot of endorsements, and a lot of charity work has been scheduled for me. I’ve also been doing very intense English lessons. Straight after my fight with Paul Buentello, I commenced private lessons with three, and some times four, tutors working one after the other with me each day. The sessions lasted for eight hours and went for a month," says Arlovski.

For some time now, some critics have suggested UFC may be a little light-on in the heavyweight department. But whether in Belarus, Chicago or Tokyo, Arlovski knows talk is cheap.

"The only thing my management and I hear some people say is that PRIDE has better heavyweight fighters. But this is my job and I’m a professional athlete, so I don’t concern myself with what people say.

"On my website, I receive over one million hits a month, and I get a lot of positive emails from fans all over the world. And as a professional athlete, I fight whoever they put in front of me. Today I signed another contract with UFC. And if they decide to bring people from PRIDE to fight me, then I will fight people from PRIDE. I don’t care what organisation my opponents are from."

Andrei’s manager, Leo Khorolinsky, added: "With the growth of UFC, it is getting major dollars rolled into it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future we see top fighters from PRIDE competing in UFC, because UFC is growing and bringing in revenue. So I think you will see some of the best fighters from PRIDE fighting in UFC."

At UFC 57, two other big guns from the heavyweight division showed they are not to be taken lightly in that class. UFC heavy hitter Paul Buentello and Rage in the Cage KO specialist Gilbert Aldana clashed for one-and-a-half rounds of non-stop thunder.

Andrei did not compete at this event, but was on hand to observe the competition. "It was two big guys going at each other. You could tell Gilbert was a tough guy, but he could probably work on his defense a little because Paul was able to land shots quite easily. Paul is a good fighter and he has a very strong punch."

Another heavyweight on the card was 5’9" Jeff Monson. "He’s a known fighter and tough. I don’t look at whether someone is tall or not tall. If they are strong and possess skills and the ability to punch, then they are all dangerous fighters. Look at Randy Couture. He isn’t a very tall guy, but he dominated heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions for a long time. Don’t underestimate the shorter guys – especially a guy who’s won Abu Dhabi twice. He has to know a thing or two."

"He’s definitely going to be a tougher opponent this time because Tim has been preparing for this fight even harder. He has said that he is working harder on his stand-up and ground game, and is in overall better shape. Plus the determination and hunger for the victory has to be on a completely different level this time. Also, obviously the mental and psychological preparation will involve a lot more this time."

"It’s hard to say. Tim has a very strong stand-up game, but we know he has been training a lot on the ground, so we don’t want to be making any guesses and be caught out. That’s why I’ve been focusing on my complete game and I’m ready to take the fight however he’s going to come at me."

"It will certainly be nice to fight in California. The popularity for mixed martial arts over there is at a very high level and the fact that UFC is going to conduct it’s first show there makes fighting on the April 15 show special."

"Well the 17-thousand-seat arena selling out in four hours indicates there is a tremendous interest out there for MMA and UFC. So I believe that definitely proves it. Also, the pay-per-view numbers are up, and the support for the sport has improved tremendously. Statistics are showing MMA figures are consistently topping boxing figures now."

"Yes. Please thank all my fans for their continued support. And I appreciate their visiting my website."

"JABB, POW training facility, Full Contact Fighter, Gamma-O, Dino Costeas, Dr James Stoxen DX, Sifu Dino Spencer, my sparring partner – Carl Davis, my boxing trainer – Mike Garcia, Leo and Arthur at Prestige Auto, Juan Tamayo at Tamayo Financial, and Michael Lopatinsky, Scott Sturges from Dreamsoft, Leo Khorolinsky, and all the Team Pitbull People."

For more on Andrei Arlovski: www.arlovski.tv

For more on UFC 59: www.ufc.tv.