Draining Weight Cut on TUF 16 Leads Sam Alvey to Return to Middleweight Division

It’s a rare case much anymore for the majority of fighters to appear on the Ultimate Fighter to stay in the weight class they competed on during the show.

Due to possibility of weight cutting several times over what is usually a six week period for shooting, a great number of fighters that appear on the reality show compete at a higher weight and then once the competition is over, they move down to a more competitive weight class.

For this season of the Ultimate Fighter, the opposite was true for Team Carwin competitor Sam Alvey.

The biggest part of Alvey’s career has been spent between light heavyweight and middleweight, but when the call came in to be a part of the 16th season of the reality show, the Team Quest fighter had to jump at the opportunity.

“Most of my career I’ve been at 205 and then I made the cut to 185 and that was a pretty big cut. Then 29 days before the show aired I got asked to be on the show, so I cut 40lbs in that 29 days,” Alvey told MMAWeekly Radio on Monday.

The rough weight cut didn’t show during his first appearance on the show as Alvey won by first round knockout. His plan was to try and fight as soon as possible during the quarterfinal round so he wouldn’t have much of a chance to put too much weight back on.

Alvey got his wish because his coach Shane Carwin chose him to compete in the second fight of the season overall, but it all back fired in the fight after another tremendously tough weight cut.

“I was so drained after the cut and I just never regained, I mean in the fight I threw three punches, I had two takedowns or what could have been takedowns had I used it, it just wasn’t my day,” said Alvey.

He pays credit to opponent Joey Rivera, who was looked at as a big underdog heading into the fight against the No. 1 pick from Team Carwin.

“Even if I would have had an easy weight cut maybe I would have lost, he’s an incredible opponent,” Alvey stated.

While the Ultimate Fighter experience as a whole was a great time for Alvey to learn and grow as a competitor, and also giving him his first show in the UFC, he knows now that cutting to welterweight may not have been the best idea.

If the UFC decides he’s best built for the 170lb weight class, of course he’ll stay there, but otherwise Alvey is done with the draining effects of dropping down that low and he plans a return to the middleweight division.

“Ideally, I’m going to go back to middleweight as fast as I can,” Alvey commented.

“But Dana White is now my boss, and if Dana White calls me up and says he wants me at 55, I’ll find a way to make 55. Wherever I’m needed, whatever is offered is where I’ll fight, but 185 I would like to be my home.”

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