Joel Álvarez, the conquest of the UFC passes through Tampa

The Phenomenon, as this fighter is known, 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 with the most fighters and talent within the American company’s roster. 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.

«We have worked hard at all distances, he is a complete fighter, but I am not that concerned. He has good hand-to-hand fighting but he is not a typical American fighter, we have been training wrestling very well, we have several Senegalese on the team who fight very well and we have worked with them. I hope you want to fight, in the good Mexican style, I’ll be there. “I hope that when he notices the annulment with the fight, he wants to come and fight with the ‘striking’,” says El Fenómeno in conversation with ABC in Tampa.

The truth is that, predictably, Klose, who has nine wins in the UFC and only two stumbles, wants to impose a strategy of physical strength, takedowns on the canvas and control positioning on the ground. And that is where Joel Álvarez will have to be very attentive to try to fit some type of submission and, especially, control the long distance in the striking. In fact, if The Phenomenon manages to conquer Tampa, the next thing that would come, with complete probability, would be a fight against a fighter ranked among the top 15 lightweights.

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. 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 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 this170 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. The first thing, in any case, is to take a coup of authority in Florida.