Arlovski, Baroni highlight One FC Friday card

OUT TO prove that they’re far from done, former Ultimate Fighting Championship talents Andrei Arlovski and Phil Baroni seek quick knockout victories against separate opponents in The ONE FC Pride of a Nation event at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.

The imposing Arlovski rekindles his rivalry with Tim Sylvia in one of the many marquee duels of the blockbuster fight card held for the first time in the country, while Baroni takes on Rodrigo Ribeiro of Brazil.

Filipino fighter and former Southeast Asian Games wushu gold medalist Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon will also be facing foreign opponents.

The 36-year-old Baroni, who is looking for his first victory in the ONE FC promotion, is predicting a quick end to the fight.

“I just want to knock this guy out and be ready for the next ONE FC card,” said the fighter nicknamed “The New York Bad Ass.”

Ribiero, a jiu-jitsu specialist, holds an MMA record of nine wins and nine losses. Baroni, a kickboxing expert, has fought 29 times, winning 14, including nine by knockout.

The 33-year-old Arlovski, known in MMA circles as “The Pitbull,” won his first duel with Sylvia in the UFC but lost the next two.

“I just want to beat him so bad,” Arlovski, who arrived in Manila Monday, told the Inquirer. “I’m looking for revenge.”