coup of authority. That is the best definition of the stellar performance of the Spanish UFC fighter Joel Álvarez, who knocked out Drakkar Klose in the first round with a spectacular punching combination. The Asturian has his seventh victory in the most famous octagon in the world and number 22 of his professional career, all of which were obtained before the limit, with 5 knockouts and 17 submissions. “I’m Spanish, damn it!” were his words after achieving a victory that could lift him to the top 15 in lightweight, taking advantage of his origins in the most important mixed martial arts league on the planet.
Joel Álvarez came out with his traditional Mariachi Song, running through the Amalie Arena in Tampa towards the cage, perhaps it was a premonition of what was going to happen moments later. He did, however, begin the fight with the calm that characterizes him, measuring the distance from his American opponent. It was he who executed the first blows and even achieved a knockdown on the canvas, but the Asturian defended himself very well and was able to get back on his feet. That would begin the beginning of the end for Klose.
The Phenomenon, as the one from Gijón is nicknamed, was cooking his rival, as usual, until he found a definitive combination. He connected a powerful hand that took the American against the wall of the octagon, and executed a jumping knee with first-class mastery, fully impacting Klose and turning off his lights. However, the referee did not realize that the rival was already knocked out and continued, grabbing him, with some more finishing hands. “I felt like I was already knocked out,” he said in the cageside interview they conducted with him. He only needed 2 minutes and 48 seconds to show that he is one of the best in the world.
What’s next for him could still be an unknown. However, Joel Álvarez expressed, during the week of this fight in Florida, his intention to move up to the next division (now he is at 70 kilos and would rise to 77), since the weight cuts, which are around 15 kilos In a few weeks, they are taking their toll. “I want to go up to welterweight, but if they hold a UFC event for me in Spain in 2025 I will continue one more fight in the lightweight,” the Asturian assumed in an interview with ABC after obtaining the victory. «I might reconsider the matter if we win this Sunday. I have always said that I am here to fight with the best. But if I put it on the scale, I think it is more important to move up a division than to stay in the light division to fight with those who are in the top 15,” the Spanish fighter says in this newspaper.
This decision, says Joel, was made with his team flying to the United States, while he was already beginning to drastically cut his diet for the fourth time in a year. «My weight is good and I will give it again, but I couldn’t take fights on short notice, nor do six-week camps. “It is to be more active and enjoy what is outside the cage,” says El Fenómeno, who recently stated on ABC that his greatest ambition was to be a good father, not to think so much about world titles or rankings. «I come home many times and due to the lack of food I am very tired and I can’t enjoy my daughter as much, and what I have to do is rest. I need quality of life outside of this, the 170 pounds (77 kilos, welterweight) are very good for me. I have trained with many people of higher weights and I look very good with them,” says El Fenómeno, who is convinced that, “although he would give away reach,” he would look “very strong” to make a career at welterweight.
Since El Fenómeno debuted with a stumble against Damir Ismagulov in February 2019 in the UFC, the Asturian fighter has been giving a lot of joy to Spanish mixed martial arts fans. Between June 2019 and November 2021, he went on a four-fight winning streak against Daniel Belluardo, Joe Duffy, Alexander Yakovlev and Thiago Moisés that allowed him to enter the top 15 in lightweight, becoming the first national fighter to do so. Then came his second defeat against Arman Tsarukyan, an athlete who will fight in January 2025 for the title against Islam Makhachev. Last year, Joel Álvarez won Marc Diakiese in London and in August of this season he gave a striking lesson with a resounding victory against Elves Brenner. Now, the one from Gijón returns in style with his most spectacular knockout to date.
#Joel #Álvarez #knocks #Drakkar #Klose #Tampa #aims #top #UFC
