Arlovski used to have excellent take down defense. Those that get him down, have a hard time passing his guard because he is physically strong enough to lock them up. He’s gotten into trouble when the fighter above him lands outside his guard but even then, he’s usually strong enough to stall that fighter out. The recent fight with tui and an older fight with Nelson are examples. Tui landed in mount but Arlovski locked him up. Nelson landed in side control and was working a kimura but he had no chance of leveraging the hold due to Arlovski’s size and strength.
Barnett got an older Arlovski tired and took advantage. Same thing Ricco did back in the day to a green Arlovski. A younger Arlovski keeps Barnett off of him, and a more experienced Arlovski does the same to Ricco.
In his physical prime (around 2002-2003 to 2012-2013), Arlovski was a difficult man to get down. He’s a true 6’4, has a natural 230-250lb frame, solid athleticism, good technique and he worked hard. Unfortunately, any version of Arlovski could be stopped by a well placed strike.
A prime Cain has the tools to wear down a prime Arlovski, especially in a 5 rounder. Cain is unrelenting and big enough to grind Arlovski. AA may have had an outside shot of landing something early in either a 3 or 5 rounder but his highest odds for victory would be a 3 rounder.
