Andrei Arlovski has lived a life worthy of a Disney movie. The 60-fight veteran won the Sambo Championship in 1999 and became UFC Champion by 2006 at the age of 26. He still currently holds UFC heavyweight division records for wins (23), total fights (42), fight time, and total strikes, achieved during two separate stints with the promotion.
Andrei has fought some of the biggest names in combat sports, including former champions Frank Mir, Fabricio Werdum, Tim Sylvia, Stipe Miocic, Josh Barnett, Francis Ngannou, Tom Aspinall, Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, and Roy Nelson. He had his jaw broken in two places by Anthony Johnson in the first round but still managed to fight through the remaining two rounds.
Has appeared on TV shows as well as in movies.
I appeared on episodes of MTV’s *Bully Beatdown* and *Limitless* (2015). I also acted in two different *Universal Soldier* movies (2009 and 2012) and was featured in Denzel Washington’s *Equalizer 2* (2018).
He has defeated cancer three separate times (2010, 2012) and most recently in 2025, which involved removing a tumor from his kidney and 28 lymph nodes. Now, a year later, at the age of 47, he is the new BKFC Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Ben Rothwell for the third time in his career. This victory came just a few days after the 21st anniversary of winning his first UFC championship (February 5th, 2005, UFC 53). His post-victory message was: “People who are in the battle right now with the f***ing cancer, don’t f***ing give up… Keep f***ing fighting. Life is beautiful.
If that’s not worthy of a Disney movie, then nothing is.
