Despite a victory over US rival Mike Hayes, former UFC heavyweight champ Andrey Arlovski, says he wanted to show off a lot more on his long-awaited return to Russia.

When asked whether he received any serious injuries in the bout by Sportbox.ru, Arlovski replied: “There was one serious injury – I hurt my soul.”

The Belarus mixed martial arts star could only top Hayes on a judges’ decision in the main event of the ‘Fight Nights 9’ tournament in Moscow on Sunday. 

“I’m clearly displeased with the fight. It’s not how I wanted to perform in Russia after 12 years of absence,” the 33-year-old said. “Despite the fact that my coach was trying to calm me in every way, I understand that there’s still a lot of work to be done.”      

“Now it’s silly to look for excuses. Some things worked out and some didn’t. There are many reasons, both subjective and objective. For example, the surface of the ring was slippery, but all the rest was OK,” the Pit Bull added.

The Moscow win sees Arlovski’s MMA record reaching 18 wins (14 KOs), nine defeats and one no contest.

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