Athletes
Joel Àlvarez Is Eager To Get Back To Work
Spanish Standout Discusses Frustrating Delays, Perfect Finishing Rates, And Facing Elves Brener
Joel Alvarez has all the weaponry needed to be a fixture in the Top 15 in the lightweight division, and he’s graced the rankings in the past, but right now, the long and lean Spaniard sits on the outside of the group looking in.
Some of that is simply because of the impressive depth of talent in the 155-pound weight class, where Paddy Pimblett’s seventh straight victory inside the Octagon last weekend was finally enough to allow him to crack the rankings, but it’s also because the talented 31-year-old has dealt with a few absences that dragged on longer than he or anyone else would like.
“It feels really good to be back fighting,” Alvarez said through a translator on Wednesday evening in Abu Dhabi, where he faces off with Elves Brener in a sure-fire barnburner that opens Saturday’s six-fight main card. “I’ve really had a slow year — I’ve had two fights cancelled — but I’m happy to be back, looking forward to fighting, and getting back into the action.”
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Initially booked to face Ludovit Klein at the start of March, Alvarez was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons, and then after getting matched up with Mateusz Rebecki at the end of April, he was once more forced to pull out, leaving this weekend’s date with Brener as his belated 2024 debut.
But even if either of those fights had materialized, it still would have been eight or nine months since folks had last seen Alvarez in the Octagon, and, despite his overall success, that much time on the sidelines is a nightmare for anyone trying to make headway in the talent-rich lightweight class.
“Every five to six months would be ideal for me to remain active,” said Alvarez when asked for his ideal schedule.
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It’s seldom been that way for Alvarez, though.
He made a hasty return to action after dropping his promotional debut to Damir Ismagulov, stopping Danilo Belluardo to kick off a four-fight run of success, but went more than a year before returning to action and defeating Joseph Duffy. Only three months passed between that triumph and his UFC 254 submission win over Alexander Yakovlev, but another year sailed by before he was able to return and take out Thiago Moises to earn his spot in the rankings.
A quick return followed, but Alvarez faltered, losing to current No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, before another extended stay on the sidelines and missed opportunity created the opening Brener needed to get into the UFC, and kept the Spanish lightweight from making his 2023 debut until last July, when he submitted Marc Diakiese.
Now, more than a year after that contest, he’s once again ready to return, intent on showing that he deserves to be considered amongst the best in the division.
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“First of all, I need to get back into fighting so I can get back into the Top 15,” began Alvarez, whose withdrawal from his UFC 284 clash with Zubaira Tukhugov resulted in Brener stepping in and scoring a split decision win to begin his UFC tenure. “From there, I think I have everything I need to be in the Top 10 of this division.”
It’s difficult to argue against Alvarez’ self-assessment and view of the division, despite his spotty attendance record over the last couple years.
Standing six-foot-three with a 77-inch reach, he has tremendous size of the division and uses it well, deploying his long limbs to deliver powerful strikes from range and lock up a myriad of submissions. He enters Saturday’s contest with a 20-3 record overall, with his UFC setbacks coming against top talents, and each of his victories coming inside the distance, a fact he understandably takes great pride in.
“I have 20 victories and 20 finishes — three KOs and 17 submissions,” said Alvarez, who has yet to see the third round in any of his UFC wins. “That brings me a lot of pride, obviously.
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“I don’t want to be disrespectful, and obviously we just talked about that with the other opponents, but that’s what I go in there to do is to finish fights, and I hope to do that.”
This weekend, Alvarez begins his quest to reclaim a place in the Top 15 in an exciting pairing with Brener, who followed up his debut win over Tukhugov in Australia with a come-from-behind finish of Guram Kutateladze and a mauling of Kaynan Kruschewsky to complete a 3-0 freshman campaign that sent him into his sophomore year on the roster with a ton of momentum and a healthy amount of buzz.
Unfortunately, he faltered in his last bout, getting out-wrestled by Myktybek Orolbai, and he touches down at Etihad Arena looking to get things moving in the right direction once again.
“I think he’s a great fighter — he’s got great striking, great jiu jitsu, so I think it’s going to be a very entertaining fight because that’s the kind of fight I like doing, as well,” Alvarez said of his matchup with the Brazilian, which many have rightfully tabbed as a Fight of the Night favorite.
“This is the perfect fight; this is the perfect fight that I want right now.”
It’s also an opportunity for Alvarez to really showcase his elite finishing abilities, as Brener has never been stopped in his career.
“This will be great,” he said, a wide smile lighting his face. “Fighting a guy that has never been finished, I would take a lot of pride in going in there and giving him his first finish in his career.”
And then, fingers crossed, “El Fenomeno” would like to make up for lost time with a return trip to the United Arab Emirates later this year.
“If I get a good win on Saturday, I’d like to fight again in October back here in Abu Dhabi,” he added. “Get me back here!”
Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Nurmagomedov, live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on August 3, 2024. Prelims start at 12pm ET/9am PT, while the main card kicks off live on ABC, ESPN & ESPN+ at 3pm ET/12pm PT.