UFC Fight Night 98's Sam Alvey: No ill will toward Alex Nicholson, but karma may be on my side

MEXICO CITY – Sam Alvey’s readiness to jump into the octagon at any given opportunity has become part of his UFC persona.

For a fighter who likes quick turnarounds, Alvey has certainly had a fruitful year, bouncing back from a broken jaw that kept him sidelined for the first half of the calendar and already completing three fights in 2016 – a feat that gets particularly impressive considering they all took place between early June and late August.

On Saturday, at UFC Fight Night 98, Alvey (28-8 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will fight for the fourth time in this calendar year. But, still lamenting a missed opportunity after October’s UFC Fight Night 97 card was canceled – and his scrap with Alex Nicholson (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) subsequently pushed – the middleweight is not quite done.

“The biggest problem I had with not fighting in Manila is (that) I think I was on course to set the new UFC record – most fights in fewest months, just under four months for four fights,” Alvey told MMAjunkie ahead of his featured UFC Fight Pass scrap. “So that got pushed back and I don’t get that record anymore.

“I still want to fight again. I would love to get another fight this year. I keep saying, (former middleweight champion Luke) Rockhold is out, they need me to step up, fight (Ronaldo) ‘Jacare’ (Souza) and save the (UFC Fight Night 101) card, I’ll do it.”

Alvey’s heroics, of course, didn’t pan out: With Rockhold’s withdrawal due to injury, Souza was removed from the card. Still, Alvey’s eagerness to go through another fight camp says a lot about not only his attitude, but also his physical ability to withstand the grind – for which he “blames” his parents and their genes.

The body, Alvey says, is holding up just fine. It’s the mind that sometimes misses a few aspects of the off-camp life.

“I’m training year-round, whether I have a fight or not – the only difference is I don’t eat as much when I’m in camp,” Alvey said. “My body is OK. It’s probably happier when I’m a little lighter, anyway. My mind takes the beating.

“My wife is a fantastic chef, and I can’t eat anything anymore. It’s like boiled fish and broccoli for every camp. I always remember what to expect as soon as I’m done, so that kind of sits on me a little bit.“

Whether it’s the attitude, the smile or the appreciative allusions to his ever-growing family, the fact is Alvey has made a reputation for himself as one of the UFC’s most likable characters.

His Saturday opponent, on the other end, has been involved in some much more negative conversations. Personally, Alvey has no problems with Nicholson. As far as outside-the-octagon issues go, Alvey likes to think the universe will take care of it all.

“I’ve met Alex once before – when I fought up in South Dakota, he was on the same card,” Alvey said. “And we get along very well. I talked to him and his family and his girlfriend. I don’t have any ill-will toward him.

“If other stuff has happened, karma will take its toll, and it sounds like karma is on my side. But to me, he’s been nothing but pleasant – he and his family and his coaches.”

As for the part that Alvey can actually act on, he’s made sure to put in the work – incorporating interesting ideas in order to prepare for Mexico City’s unique conditions. As far as the middleweight is concerned, there’s not much that either the location or the opposition can throw that he can’t handle.

“He’s a big, strong guy; I like to think I’m a big, strong guy,” Alvey said. “And I don’t think he has that many surprises in him. I know he likes throwing the spinning backfist and little stuff like that, but I’ve never been a fan of the spinning stuff.

“Most the time, it doesn’t work – it’s just when it does, everybody remembers it, so I’ve just got to make sure I’m not one of these highlights that everybody remembers, and I think I’m pretty comfortable with that.”

Moving forward, Alvey has no plans of slowing down his highly active schedule – even if that means not following a logical progression as far as the level of his competition goes.

“From the very beginning, my goal in fighting was, ‘If it’s offered, accept it,'” Alvey said. “I’ve never said no to a fight. I’ll never say no to a fight. They want me to fight the best in the world or someone who’s up-and-coming, I’ll fight whomever, whenever. If you give me a day, I’ll make weight.

“I love what I do. I love the fights, I love getting to see the world. I love getting to meet people around the world. I’ll get to that belt. There’s no deadline, there’s no stopwatch on that for me. I’ll get there, and I’ll beat whomever is holding the belt at that time.

“But until then, I’m going to enjoy my career. I’m going to enjoy my life. I’m going to enjoy beating people up in every country I go to.”

For more on Alvey’s thoughts on Nicholson and his active octagon schedule, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.

view original article >>