Andrei Arlovski vs. Devin Cole To Headline First World Series Of Fighting Card On November 3

Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski (17-9) and IFL veteran Devin Cole (20-9) will headline the inaugural World Series of Fighting event, live on NBC Sports Network from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 3.

“We are thrilled to welcome both Andrei and Devin to the World Series of Fighting roster and to have them headline our first live event,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.  “Both of these heavyweights have delivered some incredibly memorable highlights during their careers and their matchup should be a barnburner.”

Arlovski made his first major statement in the sport of MMA, winning the interim UFC heavyweight championship by forcing rival Tim Sylvia to tap out from a heel hook just 47 seconds into their matchup in 2005.

Four months later, Arlovski defended his title, toppling Justin Eilers with an onslaught of punches in the first round of their matchup in Atlantic City, N.J.  Shortly after the victory, Arlovski was promoted to UFC heavyweight champion and went on to earn wins over the likes of Paul Buentello,  Fabricio Werdum and Jake O’Brien before parting ways with the UFC and using his punching power to score a third round KO on Ben Rothwell and a second round TKO on Roy Nelson, respectively.

Of late, Arlovski has returned to vintage form, taking out Ray Lopez with a barrage of punches in the third stanza of their heavyweight clash last summer, and scoring a crushing third round KO on Travis Fulton with a monstrous head kick under the ProElite banner.

Cole, meanwhile, found success in his last pair of outings with wins over Shawn Jordan and Gabriel Salinas-Jones. A Strikeforce and IFL veteran, Cole has earned half of his 20 career victories by way of knockout, including wins over Mike Kyle, Travis Wiuff and Mike Hayes. 

The live NBC Sports Network telecast of the World Series of Fighting event will begin at 10:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. PST.

In other main card action, former WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Angel Torres (40-5) will battle an opponent to be announced, while Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gregor Gracie (7-2) will face off with rising prospect Tyson Steele (9-1) in a welterweight contest; Josh Burkman (23-9) will battle fellow UFC vet Gerald Harris (21-4) in a welterweight scrap.

Additionally, Ronys Torres (25-4) will meet submission standout Brian Cobb (19-7) in a lightweight matchup, while seasoned vet Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante (16-6-1) will take John Gunderson (34-14).

Additional undercard bouts will be announced soon according to promotion officials.