“After that (Rogers) loss, I just kept training and training, and in November of 2009, I met with Greg Jackson and started training with him,” Arlovski said of the legendary Albuquerque-based fight strategist. “I came back and trained in (my hometown of) Chicago and then started working with Bob Cook and the guys at [American Kickboxing Academy] and then went back to Chicago. So I’ve had a lot of experience with different trainers.”

“Everything happens for a reason, and I’m more disciplined now. I’m definitely going to stick to my game plan. No more putting my hands down like I did against Rogers. I just can’t lose again. It’s very dramatic for me to lose fights, and I want to climb back into the top. It’s going to be a very tough and important fight for me.”

“[Silva] is very dangerous on the ground,” Arlovski said. “That’s why I have spent a lot of time here in Chicago with some big, heavy guys training a lot on the ground. He’s an all-around fighter. His striking is good. He’s good on the ground. He has long arms. He’s really dangerous.”