The first time Andrei Arlovski and Ben Rothwell fought, 11 years ago to the weekend at the legenedary “Affliction: Banned” card, the duo put on a barnburner of a fight that ended with Arlovski winning by third-round knockout.

Their heavyweight rematch Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 4 at times looked like a 40-year-old fighting a 37-year old who hasn’t won in three years. And yet it still somehow was compelling all the same.

Arlovski (27-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) took control of the bout early and fended off Rothwell’s attempts to claw back into it, earning a unanimous decision on scores of 30-27 across the board. With the victory, the former UFC heavyweight champion earned his 17th career octagon victory, surpassing Frank Mir’s divisional company record. 

Arlovski looked sharp in the opening round, appearing to be a step faster than Rothwell (36-11 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and quicker to find his range, as well. Arlovski found a home early with his jab, used to set up two-and-three punch combos, and mixed in occasional spinning back fists and kicks low and high to keep him guessing.

Rothwell was pieced up by the end of the round, but he’s always been one tough customer, and he continued to push forward. Arlovski began to slow down halfway through the second, and the second half of the round turned into a bit of a clinching stalemate.

Both fighters were visibly tired in the third round. Rothwell seemed to understand the urgency of his situation, and shot for a takedown, which Arlovski sprawled. Both fighters pushed through exhaustion and throw bombs in the final two minutes to the appreciation of the crowd. But Rothwell needed a finish, and didn’t come close to getting it. 

With his eighth career decision victory, Arlovski snapped a three-fight losing streak. Rothwell’s sixth career decision loss was his third defeat overall. 

The bout was the UFC on ESPN 4 main-card opener at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The event aired on ESPN.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 4 results include:

• Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alex Caceres def. Steven Peterson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Raquel Pennington def. Irene Aldana via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Klidson Abreu def. Sam Alvey via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Jennifer Maia def. Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ray Borg def. Gabriel Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Mario Bautista def. Jin Soo Son via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Felipe Colares def. Domingo Pilarte via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For more on UFC on ESPN 4, check out the MMA Schedule.