Sam Alvey looking to break Donald Cerrone's record after UFC Fight Night 108

In spite of a current four-fight streak, fan-favorite Sam Alvey is rarely involved in talks about middleweight contention.

The fault for that, as “Smile’n” himself will admit, is partially his. After all, with constant octagon activity in the forefront of his mind, he’s not in the business of hand-picking opponents who will catapult him through the UFC’s 185-pound rankings.

“I think a big part is, I haven’t been pushing to fight those top-10 guys,” Alvey told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’ll get there. I just want to fight a lot. I know if I fight the top-10 guys, the UFC won’t have me fighting all that much. So I’ll fight whomever they give me, whenever they give him to me.

“I’ll fight the No. 2 guy or I’ll fight the No. 200 guy, I’m fine as long as I get to put on a show in front of everyone.”

But just because he wants to keep busy on the way to the top doesn’t mean he’s not going to make it there eventually.

“I will take fights while I’m climbing the ranks, because I’m never going to lose again,” Alvey said. “And you can put anyone you want in front of me. If I’m climbing the ranks, I’d happily fight No. 2, No. 3, or, again, I’d fight No. 200. Even if it makes no sense, and they need a guy to step up, I’m going to step up, and I’ll get my hand raised again.”

Alvey (30-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will try to keep making good on his promise at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 108, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, where he takes on former title challenger and No. 14 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings Thales Leites (26-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC).

The bout, which closes out Saturday’s FS2-televised preliminary card, will be Alvey’s sixth fight in ten months. Since a setback in his return from a broken jaw – a unanimous nod to Elias Theodorou at UFC Fight Night 89 – the ever-active 185-pounder has gone on a four-fight tear with finishes over Eric Spicely and Kevin Casey and, more recently, decisions over Alex Nicholson and Nate Marquardt.

Along with his intense schedule, Alvey has become known for the post-fight moments that often involve callouts. As per tradition, he’s already narrowed it down to a “couple of names” for Saturday. And while he won’t give us any spoilers, Alvey will throw us a bone.

“I’ll give you a clue, at least,” Alves said. “With my next fight, I step in the ring, I tie the record for most UFC fights in one year – I tie with Donald Cerrone. If I can fight one more time before June 18, that gives me the record all to myself, and I want that record.”

For more from Alvey, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 108, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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