LAS VEGAS – Sam Alvey is taking everything in stride going into UFC Fight Night 200 on Saturday.
As fight week began, Alvey was scheduled to face Phil Hawes in a middleweight fight. An injury caused a shakeup, though, and now he’s booked against Brendan Allen in a light heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex event, which streams on ESPN+.
There was a brief window in between opponent and weight class changes where Alvey (33-16-1 MMA, 10-11-1 UFC) didn’t think he would fight this weekend. Allen (17-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) agreed to save the day, though, and there was no reluctance to move forward.
“I was ready to go home and see my kids,” Alvey told MMA Junkie at UFC Fight Night 200 media day. “Not many people accept fights on a weeks’ notice. Brendan is a king among men. I’m so happy he stepped up. I wish he was worse so it would be a little easier fight for me, but it is what it is.”
Alvey said the decision to fight 20 pounds above the original plan was not much of a concern. Allen typically fights at 185 pounds, too, and although he might have a bigger physical frame, Alvey said he’s not flustered by the size of any opponent.
“I’d fight (Francis) Ngannou if they needed me to,” Alvey said. “I really hope they don’t need me to. You know me, it doesn’t matter what weight class. They called me and said, ‘Hey Brendan will take it at 205.’ I said, ‘All right. I’ll cut less weight this time.’”
Alvey will get some credit for his willingness to adjust on the fly, but the result of this fight has huge significance for his career. “Smile’n” enters UFC Fight Night 200 on a seven-fight winless skid, and another defeat would match B.J. Penn’s record for most consecutive UFC appearances without a win.
It’s not going to be easy, Alvey said, but he knows he must lay everything on the line when he steps in the octagon.
“He really is a stud,” Alvey said. “This is a fight that will be Fight of the Night. It has the potential to be. It will be. I do understand where I am in my career right now. I do love the sport. I’m not crazy about the judges but I do have to go out there and bite down on my mouthguard and try real hard to hit him, or maybe take him down.”
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/02/ufc-fight-night-200-sam-alvey-opponent-weight-change-francis-ngannou
