Karate Fight heavyweight champion Sam Alvey loves preventing a lot he feels “responsible” naming dream fights, however one athlete in the end will get the point out.
Alvey has executed nice since leaving the UFC, profitable and defending a Karate Fight title. He’s scheduled to defend the 205-pound throne this Friday, headlining KC 54 reverse hanging legend Tyrone Spong in Dubai.
Sooner or later, Alvey would love to present YouTube-turned-boxer Jake Paul his evening within the pit if he had the ability of selecting.
“I would like Jake Paul to return over,” Alvey advised MMA Combating. “Jake Paul, come battle me within the pit, you wimp.”
Paul has received his previous 5 as knowledgeable boxer, beating ex-UFC skills Nate Diaz and Mike Perry earlier than besting 58-year-old Mike Tyson. Paul is at the moment slated to field 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 25, and Alvey doesn’t assume he’ll ever find yourself on Paul’s hit listing.
“No, no, no, no,” Alvey mentioned. “I’m not sufficiently old or retired sufficient for him to wish to battle me. Or sufficiently small [laughs]. I’m too younger. I’m too athletic. I’m too large, and I’m not retired. These are his 4 {qualifications} for preventing any person.”
Alvey hasn’t fought below MMA guidelines since scoring a third-round stoppage over Cameron Graham in his sole post-UFC match in Could 2023, a outcome that snapped a nine-fight winless skid. The 54-fight MMA veteran mentioned that might find yourself being his closing look within the sport.
“I hope I’m executed with MMA,” Alvey mentioned. “I really like MMA, however I hope I’m executed with that. I hope Karate Fight and I can work collectively for very long time to return. … You realize what could be nice? If on the finish of my contract, the UFC says, ‘Hey bajillion {dollars} to battle for us.’ After which I’ll go to Karate Fight and say, ‘Hey Karate Fight, UFC has provided me a bajillion. Would you supply me a bajillion, or how near a bajillion may you get?’ That might be supreme [laughs].”
Alvey is unbeaten since becoming a member of Karate Fight in late 2023. Greater than that, he’s dwelling the very best life.
“I really like Karate Fight. I’m having a lot enjoyable with this group,” Alvey mentioned. “It’s the primary group that actually bases each battle, each occasion, each venue, on fan enjoyment. Each group says they fight. Karate Fight actually does. All the pieces they do is to make it a greater expertise for the individuals watching at dwelling. Shoot, in the event you ever get an opportunity to go to a Karate Fight, it’s so cool.
“The fighters are eye-level. In a cage, in the event you’re on the UFC occasion, yeah, it’s cool, however you’re all the time wanting up at both the cage or as everybody does, they have a look at the display, as a result of no one likes to look at their battle via the cage. I’ve all the time most well-liked watching fights in a hoop, and now the pit is best than every part.”
Alvey seems to be to maintain his belt by beating Spong this weekend and has the utmost respect for his opponent’s story in fight sports activities.
“He could be the best kickboxer to have ever lived,” Alvey mentioned. “There’s just a few folks that could possibly be in comparison with him. And he’s fought individuals larger than him, smaller than him. He’s fought anybody and everybody always. He’s deciding to return again out of his little retirement to battle me, it’s an enormous honor.”
One factor Alvey received’t do is name Spong the most important battle of his life. For the UFC veteran, it doesn’t surpass dealing with—and beating—former UFC mild heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at a UFC Battle Evening present in Mexico again in 2017.
“This would be the second greatest battle I’ve ever had,” Alvey mentioned of Spong. “Rashad must be No. 1. He’s a UFC Corridor of Famer, however Spong is true there. I imagine Spong is Rashad’s coach, in order that’s form of cool too.”
Spong scored knockouts in all however certainly one of his boxing matches, and has floored many males contained in the kickboxing ring. Alvey expects Spong to have difficulties coping with the Karate Fight pit, although, in addition to his punching energy.
“So he’s received to recollect I hit simply as onerous, perhaps more durable,” Alvey mentioned. “I imagine I’ve extra knockouts than him. I’m not constructive, I do know it’s shut. We hit onerous. We’re each very conscious of how onerous we hit and we’re each very conscious of how to not get hit by each other. That’s form of the sport. We received to determine the right way to get in and get out with out getting tagged. Either side, he and I.”
“I don’t assume the ring rust goes to play an element, however I feel the pit will,” he continued. “The pit throws individuals off. Even my first time, I used to be actual nervous about touching it, I stayed away from it. After which my second, third battle, the pit is hard. Except you’ve one or have skilled it, you’re simply not prepared for it.”
Alvey left the UFC on a prolonged winless skid, however turned issues round below the Karate Fight banner. In line with the MMA veteran, the pit performed a think about his change.
“I attempted to vary [in the UFC] however I’m an outdated canine and it takes an actual change in venue apparently to make me change the best way I battle,” Alvey mentioned. “ The best way I’ve all the time fought, I’ve all the time been a counterstriker. The bell rings, I walked backwards, my whole profession. It was the rise and fall of me within the UFC. The pit, I can not stroll backwards. I can’t do it as a result of in the event you stroll backwards, you fall over. I received into the mindset as I’ve to push ahead. And all my fights I’ve pushed ahead, I’ve stayed off that wall. I’ve modified the best way I battle due to it.
“And now, a little bit bit in my final one and my final two, I’ve been in a position to make the most of it as a result of I’ve had a little bit little bit of expertise. And now in my head, I’m all the time enjoying the Ninja Turtle recreation in my head. Oh, what would I do right here? How do I hit him right here? What sort of enjoyable stuff can I do? So in my head, I’m simply continually fascinated about how I can use that pit to my benefit.
“Like I mentioned, the rise and fall of my profession within the UFC. The rise was individuals didn’t know the way I fought. I fought backwards. Folks fell into that lure, they’d assault and I’d catch them on the best way in. As soon as they figured that out, they have been in a position to time me. ‘Simply blitz them sooner than he can react, we’ll catch them.’ And it began working. The pit has modified the best way I’ve to battle. I’ve to stroll ahead now. I’m a brand new fighter. I’ve lot of the identical habits, however sure issues of me, you’ll be able to’t examine my UFC tape to see. It’s important to examine my Karate Fight tapes, and I completed all my guys. So there’s not a ton of tape to see there.”
Alvey vs. Spong is scheduled for 5 three-minute rounds, and “Smilin’” predicts “it’s not going to go to a choice.”
“He’s going to push the tempo as a result of once more, he hasn’t fought in six years,” Alvey mentioned. “He’s preventing in a brand new area. He’s preventing abroad. The cardio isn’t going to be there for him. The ability is the final to go, the cardio is the primary to go. And he hasn’t had that have. I’m positive he’s coaching onerous, however below the lights with the cameras and everybody cheering for you, it will get to you. I believe he desires to finish the battle earlier, and I’m nice going the gap.
“The very last thing to go on a fighter and an athlete is their energy. He has all the time been an influence striker. All the pieces he’s executed is he throws it to not damage me, however to kill me. I don’t suspect that’s gone. He in all probability hits as onerous, perhaps more durable than he’s ever hit earlier than. I simply have to have the ability to time the photographs. I’ve to have the ability to decide my photographs and don’t try to get in a slug match with him as a result of I understand how onerous he hits.”
