“My manager told me you have an opportunity to fight in a boxing match. ‘Would you like to?’ I said, ‘Absolutely, let’s go.’” That’s how former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski landed his first-ever match in the influencer boxing scene. He had always been a fan of the sport, but never got the opportunity to compete in it despite signing with Oscar De La Hoya in 2009. That, of course, is no longer the case.

On Sunday, ‘The Pitbull’ laced up his boxing gloves for the first time at the age of 46. His opponent? Former Netflix show star Kelechi ‘Kelz’ Dyke, who is best known for his appearance on the series Too Hot to Handle. The pair fought under the Misfits Boxing banner in a heavyweight fight in Nashville. Andrei Arlovski ended up knocking out Dyke in the fourth and final round of the bout with slightly less than two minutes left. 

Former UFC star Andrei Arlovski proves he’s still got it

He landed a counter right hook that flattened the former Netflix star, as the referee started the count and stopped the fight soon after. The clip from the fight quickly started going viral on social media. It was later picked up by several combat outlets, including Happy Punch, who shared the clip further with the caption, “46-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski just slept a reality TV star.”

Despite Arlovski’s age, this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, especially since Dyke entered the fight with a modest 1-1 boxing record. He last competed in 2024 when he lost to Misfits champion Chase DeMoor. Arlovski, on the other hand, boasts an extensive MMA career, even if it includes a fair share of losses. He’s faced some of the most feared names in the sport, including Tom Aspinall, Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, and Fedor Emelianenko, among others.

With a resume like that, and a knockout like that; it didn’t take long for the clip to attract a flood of comments from netizens. The public flocked to the post like birds in migration.

Ryan from Ryan’s World gets roped in

For Andrei Arlovski, his boxing debut had a great reception. Boxing commentator Dan Canobbio, though, wasn’t a big fan of influencer boxing events. “Every video that comes from this event keeps getting worse,” Canobbio wrote. There’s an ethical debate to be had about matching an experienced veteran against a novice. And also about pairing a 46-year-old with a 31-year-old, even if the two factors might seem to balance each other out on paper.

However, the next user wasn’t too bothered by the ethics of the fight. “This is what happens if the fight isn’t fixed in these matches,” the user commented. This is, of course, in reference to the betting scandal that has enveloped the UFC in recent days. 

Meanwhile, this user was utterly impressed by the former UFC heavyweight champion. “You can’t teach experience, you can only earn it,” the user commented. Dyke may have thought Arlovski is 46, never fought in a boxing match, how hard could it be? Well, now he knows.

Someone else predicted who ‘The Pitbull’ would fight next. “Arlovski just won’t retire. He’s gonna fight Ryan from Ryan’s World one day,” the user commented. However, Arlovski told MMA Fighting that he wants to fight Jake Paul in December. 

Another user shamed the former Netflix star for losing to a 46-year-old. “Stiffened by a 46-year-old. I’d never show my face again,” the user commented. However, in Dyke’s defense, Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion. 

Having said that, Andrei Arlovski has made a successful, highlight reel-worthy boxing debut. It would be interesting to see who the 46-year-old fights next. But the question is, should he?