Tag: Joel Alvarez

Joel Alvarez wants to welcome Donald Cerrone back to UFC: ‘It would be a dream’

If Donald Cerrone returns to the UFC as he’s teased, he has at least one taker in UFC Tampa winner Joel Alvarez.

TAMPA, Fla. – [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] thinks the odds are that a move to welterweight is next.

At UFC on ESPN 63 at Amalie Arena, Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) knocked out veteran fighter Drakkar Klose early in their bout and immediately indicated his days at lightweight could be over due to the difficulty of the weight cut.

There are circumstances that would keep Alvarez from making this move, such as a home country fight. But in most scenarios, Alvarez said his next fight would be at welterweight.

Regardless of class, Alvarez hopes his return can come against UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC), who recently announced his un-retirement and has bounced between the two weight classes.

“I said if there’s going to be UFC Spain, that would be my last dance at 155,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “… Listen, I wouldn’t have an opponent in mind. But for my last dance, I’d fight somebody, whoever is coming back there. I heard he might be coming back at 155 or 170, but that would be ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

“To me, it would be a dream. I heard it might be a possibility he comes back and wants to have a couple fights. It would be a dream for me to get a photo with him. Imagine to fight him? It would be an amazing thing if he’s coming back. I’m not sure if that’s happening.”

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Cerrone, 41, retired after a July 2022 loss to Jim Miller at UFC 276. The loss moved him to 0-6 with one no contest in his most recent seven outings.

Alvarez, 31, has won three fights in a row. His only two UFC losses have come against Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

UFC on ESPN 63 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total tops $8.2 million

With 2024 a wrap for the UFC, see a breakdown of how much money was paid under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $208,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 63 took place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 63 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Navajo Stirling[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tuco Tokkos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Felipe Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ramon Taveras[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,630; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,017,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Joel Alvarez def. Drakkar Klose at UFC Tampa: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Joel Alvarez’s knockout win over Drakkar Klose at UFC on ESPN 63.

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 63 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. (Photos by Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

UFC Tampa video: Joel Alvarez KOs Drakkar Klose, who falls into guillotine choke in wild sequence

Joel Alvarez tried to choke an already unconscious Drakkar Klose in a wild finish to their UFC on ESPN 63 clash.

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] kept his 100 percent finish rate in tact against [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] with a bizarre sequence to end their fight at UFC on ESPN 63.

After rocking Klose (15-3-1 MMA, 9-3 UFC) with a punch in the opening round of the lightweight bout at Amalie Arena, Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) charged in with a flying knee that landed clean. With his opponent essentially unconscious, Alvarez grabbed the neck and went for a guillotine as Klose started to fall back.

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Luckily, the referee quickly realized Klose was out cold from the knee, and he pulled Alvarez off for the knockout at the 2:48 mark of Round 1.

Check out a replay of the sequence below (via X):

With the win, Alvarez keeps his incredible run of stopping every opponent inside the distance. He told MMA Junkie prior to UFC on ESPN 63 that he was mulling a move up to welterweight, and said he intends to move forward with that – with one exception.

“We talked about maybe going up to 170,” Alvarez said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Unless we’re going to have UFC Spain. Then I’ll stay at lightweight.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 63 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

UFC on ESPN 63: Joel Alvarez plans to move up to welterweight following Tampa event

Don’t expect to see Joel Alvarez stick around lightweight.

TAMPA, Fla. – It looks like [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag]’s days as a lightweight will soon come to an end.

Although competing in a 155-pound bout at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63, “El Fenomeno” doesn’t see himself doing more future cuts to his long-time division. Alvarez (21-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who takes on Drakkar Klose (15-2-1 MMA, 9-2 UFC) on the preliminary card, has come to that realization in the lead-up to his return on Saturday.

“I spoke about it with my team on the way here, the truth is that it’s a reality,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I believe that’s a reality now. I’m going to do the fight on Saturday, and I think at most do another at 155, then after, due to everything that implies to get down, I’m going to move up to 170 to compete.”

Alvarez has competed eight times under the UFC banner and has missed weight on two occasions. Although he’s made weight for his last three bouts, and he seemed to have his cuts dialed in, the Spanish fighter would like to be more active, which is something he just can’t do fighting at 155 pounds.

“The cuts are very hard, they’re hard,” Alvarez explained. “I’m a guy that’s 1.90 m (6’2), I’m very tall, so the cut is very tough. In the end, you have to get fights that are 10 weeks out.

“For example, a fight with a six-week training camp, I wouldn’t be able to accept it because I wouldn’t have enough time to cut. I naturally walk around 85-88 kg, that’s 185, 190 pounds, so it’s a big cut. I think it is better for me to move to 170, and I’d probably end weighing more, but I’d be stronger, and it would definitely be more natural.”

Apart from wanting to fight more frequently, there’s also a health aspect involved. Alvarez knows these weight cuts can’t be good for his long-term health, and that’s also something that’s played a role in his decision-making.

“You take the body to the extreme,” Alvarez said. “You cut 15 kilos in just 10 or nine weeks, and that’s a ton of weight, especially for a person that’s already in shape. I’m not losing weight because I have weight issues, and I’m obese. I’m already in shape, and yet I still do the cut. So from a health aspect, this is not good. These last few weeks are tough, and especially the last day when you have to dehydrate your body. You start seeing everything different, you even wonder if this is all worth it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Joel Alvarez confident he’s among best UFC lightweights, hopes to stay active: ‘My place is in the rankings’

The last thing Joel Alvarez wants to do is sit and wait a long time to fight again, which is why he called out King Green after UFC Abu Dhabi.

UFC on ABC 7 was host of many important results, but perhaps the most impressive one came from Spain’s [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag], and he’s got a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus to back that claim.

Earlier this month, Alvarez (21-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) returned to the cage after a year of inactivity and put away a tough Elves Brener in the opening bout of the UFC on ABC 7 main card in Abu Dhabi. “El Fenomeno” walked down Brener and picked him apart with his sharp striking until he got the finish in Round 3.

Despite the impressive win and the bonus, Alvarez didn’t get a spot in the official UFC rankings. Although he expected it not to happen, he does believe he’s among the elite.

“It all comes down to how active they keep me,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “After the fight against Marc Diakiese, people said the same thing: ‘Return to the ranking, return to the ranking.’ But I was inactive for a year due to my visa issues.

“This is a division that has a lot of good fighters, so people move up very slowly. It’s almost impossible to get in the rankings, and when you do, you move up very slowly. So if I’m not active, and I don’t get a chance to fight with people in the rankings, it’s going to be tough to get in there. It’s a tough division to climb.

“However, I know that I’m capable of competing against them, and I consider myself one of the best in the world. My place is in the rankings. And if it’s not in the rankings, I’m close. This is my area.”

After his hand was raised in Abu Dhabi, Alvarez used his mic time to call for his next move. He requested King Green for UFC 308, which goes down on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi. Fellow Spaniard Ilia Topuria defends his title against Max Holloway in the main event of the card.

“I think that would be ideal for me, and that’s why I said it,” Alvarez said. “It’s a fight that interests me because Bobby Green is a good striker, and it would be a striking fight. I said it: no takedowns, no submissions. Just striking me and him. I think the date also works for me very well. The October card is 11 weeks away, so that would be perfect. I can rest a few more days and then start preparing a camp nine weeks out.

“I also think the fight is also very appealing for the crowd. I obviously think fighting against someone in the rankings is great, but Paddy just went in (the rankings), so I don’t think he’d fight someone outside of it. I’d do it, of course. And then people higher up, many of them are booked. So I’m in no rush. Right now I just want to do fun fights and keep making money.”

Regardless whether he gets Green or gets a spot at UFC 308, Alvarez’s main priority is to be active. He’s hoping to make up for some lost time, given that he’s only fought three times in almost three years.

“It would be amazing to be active,” Alvarez said. “I also owe it to all the fans. This time around, I felt very loved by the public. Not only the public here in Spain, which we know all this is blowing up, but also the international public. I owe it to them. People really enjoy my fights from what I see.

“I don’t want to brag, but when I go on social media, people seem to enjoy them, so I owe it to them. I know what I’m capable of, and I know I can put on even better shows. I owe it to the fans. We need more activity.”

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Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC on ABC 7

Between Joel Alvarez and Elves Brener, the underdog is the pick to score a finish at UFC Abu Dhabi.

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] and [autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ABC 7 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 64-56-3

Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener UFC on ABC 7 preview

After having a four-fight winning streak snapped by Arman Tsarukyan in a fight where he suffered a horrifying cut, Alvarez (20-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) rebounded to win his most recent fight as he choked out Marc Diakiese by second-round D’arce choke in July 2023. … Brener (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) kicked off his UFC tenure by winning his first three bouts, but the streak came to an end after he dropped a unanimous decision to Myktybek Orolbai in May.

Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener UFC on ABC 7 expert pick, prediction

Despite usually ripping the UFC matchmakers for their selection of the main-card opener, I got to give them credit for once again going back to Joe Silva’s surefire card formatting signature of shunning heavyweight slop-fests to the prelims while using lightweights and featherweights to properly kick off the featured fights.

This week, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby smartly chose a fight between Alvarez and Brener to start the main card.

Even though Alvarez has some obvious on-paper advantages as far as reach and height are concerned, I’d argue that the abnormally large lightweight will likely finish his career at middleweight given all that he must be sacrificing just to make it to the scale.

Don’t get me wrong: Alvarez appears to have some solid skills for being a clear size bully; I just don’t believe that he can continue to fight effectively past the first frame when factoring in the shown diminishing returns of his weight cut.

For that reason, I’ll happily take a flier on a durable and dogged underdog like Brener to survive the early storm and pull away down the stretch.

The pick is Brener by third-round TKO.

Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener UFC on ABC 7 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are siding with the Spaniard, listing Alvarez -188 and Brener +152 via FanDuel.

Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener UFC on ABC 7 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Alvarez and Brener are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 3 p.m. ET. The fight will air on ABC and stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.

UFC’s Joel Alvarez frustrated by recent career inactivity: ‘I’d love to have that rhythm back’

Joel Alvarez explains the reason why he hasn’t been able to be active in the UFC in recent years.

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] is dissatisfied with how things have played out in recent years in his UFC career.

The Spanish lightweight has yet to set foot in the octagon in 2024, and this comes on the heels of a very inactive spell, as he’s only fought three times since 2021. Alvarez (20-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has been frustrated to sit on the sidelines while healthy, as things beyond his control have kept from out of the cage.

“Well, I was supposed to fight March 2 in Saudi Arabia, but that event got entirely moved to Las Vegas, and I had to renew my visa, and in the process, there wasn’t enough time,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “UFC submitted the process, but I wasn’t able to get my visa in time. Then they gave us a fight for April and I still wasn’t able to get my visa.

“It’s just a renovation, and I was even living there (in the U.S.), and I still can’t get it renewed. I don’t understand why. It’s not like it’s my first time or anything like that. I used to live there. It’s just bureaucracy. ”

Alvarez last fought in July 2023 when he submitted veteran Marc Diakiese. That victory allowed him to bounce back from a loss to top contender Armar Tsarukyan.

Alvarez’s five UFC wins have all come by TKO or submission. He feels he’s among the best fighters in his division and is frustrated that he hasn’t been able to show that.

“It’s a bad time for me,” Alvarez said. “You want to fight and be active, and I was left hanging with those two fights and preparations, both just a few weeks from the fight date.

“You work really hard, you put in a lot of effort in getting your weight low, and in the end, they don’t happen. That demoralizes you a bit and takes away motivation. I hope that this year it comes through because this is the third camp I do, and I’m in great shape.”

Alvarez returns to the cage on Aug. 3 at a stacked UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi. He takes on Brazil’s Elves Brener. “El Fenomeno” hopes this return sparks some activity in his career, just like in his early days in the company.

“I want to do two or three fights a year,” Alvarez said. “I’d love to be active in the UFC, how I was when I first got in. From 2020 to 2021, I did four fights. I was very active and yeah, then things slowed down for me in the last years. I’d love to have that rhythm back and be doing two or three fights a year and remain active.”

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Joel Alvarez out of UFC on ESPN 55 bout vs. Mateusz Rebecki

Rising Spanish lightweight Joel Alvarez has withdrawn for the third time in his four most recent UFC bookings.

UFC lightweight [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] has found much success inside the promotion’s cage. It’s just been difficult for him to get in there.

For undisclosed reasons, Alvarez (20-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is out of his UFC on ESPN 55 bout opposite [autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) that was expected to take place on the April 27 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the change but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Alvarez has withdrawn from three of his most recent four UFC bookings. Visa issues have been a problem for Alvarez throughout the years. Alvarez only has fought seven times in a little more than five years with the promotion.

Plans for Rebecki’s next bout currently are being configured, though it’s unclear if he’ll remain on the card. Rebecki rides a 13-fight winning streak and was touted by UFC CEO Dana White as one of the best fighters on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN 55 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Alex Perez vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Bogdan Guskov vs. Ryan Spann
  • Mateusz Rebecki vs. TBA
  • Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva
  • Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane
  • Tim Means vs. Uros Medic

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Victor Henry vs. Rani Yahya
  • Michal Figlak vs. Austin Hubbard
  • Caio Machado vs. Don’Tale Mayes
  • David Onama vs. Jonathan Pearce
  • Marnic Mann vs. Ketlen Souza
  • Gabe Green vs. James Llontop
  • Liang Na vs. Ivana Petrovic
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Maheshate

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 1-7)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 1-7.