Arlovski was on hand Friday night inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., for the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua squash match (highlights here). So was Jack Doherty, a YouTube prankster who is known for antagonizing people and then hiding behind his bodyguard. He shouldered past UFC’s former Heavyweight champion, who reacted with confusion.
Then, one of Jack’s friends took a swing at “The Pitbull” and it was on.
Doherty would blame Arlovski for starting the incident, but the video footage doesn’t really back that up. In an endless torrent of Instagram Stories — filmed, it appears, as Andrei picked up a Christmas tree — the 46-year-old BKFC fighter was surprisingly even-keeled about the incident.
“First of all, I didn’t beat anyone, I just stopped the threat,” he said. “They were threatening me, my wife, my kid, and I have another friend. I did what I was supposed to do, what every man is supposed to do: stop the threat.
“I guess because they were looking for content for their website and I guess I was the victim,” he added. “They thought maybe it was going to be easy content for YouTube. Maybe that’s why. Maybe I’m old. Maybe because it was like three idiots and a big bodyguard.”
Arlovski suggested maybe Paul could book him versus Doherty’s bodyguard in a boxing match.
“I saw him walking but I didn’t pay attention … he kind of landed one punch,” he said. “So, I have to be more alert and pay attention to people that are around. That’s the lesson. That guy he was sneaky, he sucker punched me and I didn’t accept this f–king sucker punch, to be honest with you.”
He never did get his hands on Doherty.
“It was a successful escape,” he said. “He was successful in hiding and running away behind his bodyguard. He did a great job.”
In the end, Andrei doesn’t even consider it a real brawl.
“Fight? They just tried to film some content,” he said. “YouTubers looking for some content. Typical … I didn’t want to knock anyone out. I just wanted to protect my family from those that threaten me and that’s it.”
And protect his phone.
“I just changed my phone, so I was worried,” he said about his one-handed fighting style. “I worried about my phone, new one, expensive one.”
Arlovski is still fighting after 26 years as a pro and is set to fight Ben Rothwell in the main event of BKFC’s February KnuckleMania event.
