Everything as planned by nutritionist David Rojas. This is how the plans have turned out for Joel Álvarez’s (21-3-0) weight cut in the last event of the season, the UFC Tampa. The Asturian fighter stepped on the scale at the Marriott Hotel, after 9:40 a.m. (local time), to weigh 156 pounds (70.7 kilos), the same as his opponent, Drakkar Klose, so the fight is now official and both met expectations.
The Phenomenon, as the man from Gijon is nicknamed, will seek his seventh victory in the American company in a fight that is scheduled for the preliminary card. Thus, he faces a challenge that will be very decisive for his future in the Olympus of mixed martial arts. This will be his ninth fight in the UFC (he has won six and lost two) and he will do it again in the lightweight division, the category that has the most fighters and talent within the roster of the American company.
In fact, if the excellent work done by Joel Álvarez reflects anything, it is that, after his victory against Thiago Moises in 2021, he became the first Spaniard to enter the top 15 of the UFC, also being one of the few athletes in the league American who counts all his victories in his professional career by finishes (17 knockouts and 4 submissions). A setback once again removed him from the most privileged ranking. Now, he will face Klose, a fighter known for his uncomfortable fighting style, complete in all areas and who will probably seek to muddy the fight against the Asturian.
On the other hand, Joel Álvarez has stated during the week of the fight in Tampa that his intention is to abandon lightweight to move up to welterweight, which is 7 kilos more, where he would partially lose his competitive advantage, since he is too tall for the category in which it competes. Something that could be extended if he obtains a spectacular victory and big names appear on the horizon.
«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 that moving up the division weighs more than staying in the light division to fight with those who are in the top 15,” the Spanish fighter says in this newspaper.
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