Thiago Alves posts broken-nose photo after UFC Fight Night 67 loss

Thiago Alves

It was a bad night for UFC Fight Night 67 headliner Thiago Alves – and his nose – but the vet remains upbeat.

Alves (21-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC) fell short in his bid for a third consecutive victory after suffering a second-round TKO loss to fellow welterweight Carlos Condit (30-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in Saturday’s FOX Sports 1-televised main event.

The bout was halted at the conclusion of the second round after Condit’s flurry of punches appeared to break Alves’ nose (watch the Condit vs. Alves video highlights).

Although Alves was immediately taken to the hospital after the fight, which took place at Goiania Arena in his native Brazil, he posted an update this morning.

Alves was upbeat and wrote, “Unfortunately it wasn’t my night. But that’s how it is at the highest level of competition. A small setback is a great setup for a bigger comeback!”

The full message and picture from Instagram:

Infelizmente não foi a minha noite. Mais competição de alto nível é assim não se pode errar. Vou aprender com os meus erros e voltar bem melhor que antes. E vou ser campeão nunca desistirei, porque um filho teu não foge a luta! Só quero agradecer a Deus e a todo vcs pelo o apoio! Obrigado #UFCGoiania————– Unfortunately it wasn't my night. But that's how it is at the highest level of competition. A small setback is a great setup for a bigger comeback! I'll learn from my mistakes and get a lot better. I won't stop until I have that belt around my waist! Now back to the grind. Just wanna first thank God for blessing with this life. And a massive THANK YOU to all my fans for the support. And @ufc for this opportunity. I will be back!!!

A photo posted by Thiago "The Pitbull" Alves (@thiagoalvesatt) on May 31, 2015 at 2:15am PDT

Prior to the loss, Alves had returned from a two-years-plus injury layoff and defeated Seth Baczynski and Jordan Mein to set up a fight with Condit. A win over the former WEC champion and ex-UFC interim titleholder, who’s ranked No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, would have given Alves a solid boost of the 170-pound ladder.

For now, though, the 31-year-old will look to heal up and await his next assignment.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 67, check out the UFC Events section of the site.