Coming up short on The Ultimate Fighter can sometimes be a blessing in disguise.
Despite a failed bid on TUF 16 close to two years ago, middleweight Sam Alvey will make his UFC debut Saturday night as he faces Tom Kong Watson. The pair will square off on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 47, for the Las Vegas based promotion’s first trip to Bangor, Maine.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC Fight Night: St. Preux vs Bader Aug. 16 on Sportsnet 360 starting at 8 p.m. EST
“I knew earning a contract was always a possibility if I kept winning,” Alvey told Sportsnet. “My management team has been on it for a while. They’ve been telling the UFC [I’m ready], while the UFC was saying, ‘Hey we’ll tell you when Sam’s ready.’ Then finally getting that phone call [from the UFC] was a pretty exciting moment.”
A UFC contract wasn’t on the horizon for Alvey back in 2012. For the first time in TUF history, contestants on Season 16 learned that only fighters involved in the tournament final would be participating in the finale. That meant Alvey, who was eliminated in the opening round of the tournament, didn’t have a second opportunity to show the Zuffa brass that he was UFC calibre.
But shortly after that, the tide turned in Alvey’s favour as he would sign on with Canadian organization Maximum Fighting Championship. Not only would Alvey be fighting in front of a large audience live on TV, but his first fight would be a title bout against Elvis Mutapcic, the MFC’s 185-pound champ at the time. Despite losing by unanimous decision, Alvey would win the MFC middleweight title two fights later, knocking out Jason South at MFC 38. The 28-year-old believes his MFC tenure helped him mature as a fighter, while also leading to his UFC contract.
“The MFC has one of the highest viewerships in all of MMA and lots of people have been able to see me [fight live]. Just on my Twitter page alone I’m always responding to people all the time. I definitely think it played a big hand in me [signing with the UFC].”
While he leaves the MFC as their middleweight champion, he does remain on good terms with the organization and hopes to be involved with the Alberta-based promotion sometime the future.
“I love the MFC, they still love me. Hopefully I’ll still be a part of their organization whether it’s behind the scenes or doing something. They put on one of the best shows in the world and I loved being part of their history.”
The Team Quest product comes into this fight on Saturday on a four-fight win streak. Watson, meanwhile, is on a two-fight slide and a third straight loss could likely lead to his release from the UFC. Alvey (23-5, 1 NC) doesn’t see his opponent’s losing streak as a declining skill set, but rather a string of bad luck.
“The biggest hole in his game is that the judges don’t like him. Two of his UFC losses were by split decision. I’m hoping that I can go out there and put on a Fight of the Night performance. I want to make sure people talk about me on Monday and I’m sure he feels the same way.”
There’s no doubt Alvey is hoping to avoid going to the scorecards, especially after a number of questionable decisions UFC fans have been witness to in 2014.
“I know the judging can be a factor and it’s my goal is for it to not be a factor. I want that [performance] bonus, that’s really what I’m looking for. Take it out of the hands of the judges. Every judge will tell you they wish they didn’t have a job. They have a tough job, but I’m looking to take it out of their hands.”
Not looking past his opponent, Alvey is excited about the possibilities that lie ahead in the UFC’s middleweight division. No matter where he goes from here, Alvey believes the timing of his promotional debut couldn’t be better.
“185 pounds right now is one of the most exciting divisions. We’ve got a lot of guys that aren’t wresters. The UFC’s done a fantastic job of putting together a roster of people that aren’t just going to take you down and hold you down. I can’t think of a fight in the UFC that I wouldn’t want to take.”
But in saying that, there is one opponent that the MFC middleweight champion has set his sights on for quite some time and he happens to headline the UFC’s next event. A fight with Michael Bisping is a dream matchup for Alvey, whose teammate Dan Henderson already endured a feud with years ago on TUF.
“It’s absolutely a fight I want and I’m sure will happen. [Bisping’s] way higher up the ranks than I am, so I’ll have to earn that. But I’ve been calling him out for five or six years now and I’ll get my shot someday.”
On Saturday, Alvey looks to prove that sometimes the long road to the UFC can be worth it. Interestingly enough, Colton Smith – the winner of Alvey’s TUF 16 season- was just released from his UFC contract last month after losing three-straight fights. With the influx of new fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division, Alvey believes the possibilities are endless.
“You’ve got to take it one step at a time. Should I put Weidman on notice? It may take years but I’m going to get [to the top]. [For my opponents], just make sure you keep your hands up when I get there.”
