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Andrei Arlovski not thinking about legacy ahead of 20th UFC bout at UFC Fight Night 87

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands – Andrei Arlovski will grace the UFC’s octagon for the 20th time in his career on Sunday when he takes on Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC Fight Night 87.

Only a handful of competitors have reached the 20-fight benchmark in UFC history, and Arlovski (25-11 MMA, 14-5 UFC) will become just the third heavyweight to reach the milestone when he faces off with Overeem (40-14 MMA, 5-3 UFC).

During that time Arlovski has won the UFC heavyweight championship, accrued the most knockouts and second most win in divisional history and either holds or is on the verge of holding a number of other records.

All of that is inconsequential to him, he said, because the only thing Arlovski can gain enjoyment out of is winning his next fight.

“I don’t really care about records,” Arlovski told MMAjunkie. “For me it’s more important (to win), he’s a tough opponent no doubt and it’s an important victory for me and I’m going to beat Overeem Sunday night and that’s it. What’s going to happen after is up to the UFC.”

UFC Fight Night 87 takes place at Ahoy Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The card airs on FOX Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Arlovski, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, stepped in the UFC’s octagon for the first time in November 2000. More than 15 years later he is ready to headline the UFC’s debut in a new market against No. 7-ranked Overeem.

The significance of his latest UFC fight isn’t lost on Arlovski, he said. However, he can’t help but wonder how many UFC appearances he would have on his record if he hadn’t parted ways with the organization from 2008-2014.

“It’s only at 20 because a few years I was out of the UFC,” Arlovski said. “If I stayed with UFC it would maybe be 30, 35 or even 40 fights. But yeah, 20 is a good number and like I said, I still have a few more years. I’m ready to go.”

And for more on UFC Fight Night 87, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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