HOUSTON – Jared Vanderaa is still having a tough time comprehending that he’s going to share the octagon with a legend of the UFC.
Vanderaa is set to face former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski on Saturday’s UFC 271 card in what is by far the biggest fight of his career.
When Arlovski (32-20 MMA, 21-14 UFC) started the sport, Vanderaa was just a child. “The Pitbull” has gone on to win UFC gold and become the third winningest fighter in company history, so it’s a bit surreal for Vanderaa (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) to get this opportunity.
“I’m just still fan-girling inside,” Vanderaa told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 271 media day. “I get to fight Arlovski, so I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I get to fight ‘The Pitbull.” Outside of that, camp-wise, camp’s been harder because I am fan-girling way too hard. Like, ‘I want to beat his ass out of respect.’ But yeah, no – I’m excited for this fight.”
Vanderaa meets Arlovski in the featured prelim at UFC 271, which airs on ESPN prior to the pay-per-view main card and following early prelims on ESPN+ from Toyota Center.
The 43-year-old Arlovski might be coming into the event with a lot of tread on his tires, but he’s also won four of his past five fights. The 29-year-old Vanderaa, meanwhile, has lost two of his three outings and needs a big win to prove he belongs on the UFC stage.
“Dude’s kind of old – no disrespect,” Vanderaa said. “He’s like what, 43 now? But the dude’s also still whipping people’s asses still. You’ve got to respect a guy’s skill regardless of his age.”
To see the full interview with Vanderaa, check out the video above.
Jared Vanderaa ‘fan-girling inside’ over Andrei Arlovski fight at UFC 271
