Karate Fight heavyweight champion Sam Alvey loves preventing a lot he feels “responsible” naming dream fights, however one athlete finally will get the point out.
Alvey has completed 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 putting legend Tyrone Spong in Dubai.
Sooner or later, Alvey would love to offer YouTube-turned-boxer Jake Paul his evening within the pit if he had the ability of selecting.
“I need Jake Paul to come back over,” Alvey advised MMA Preventing. “Jake Paul, come battle me within the pit, you wimp.”
Paul has gained his previous 5 as an expert boxer, beating ex-UFC abilities 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 record.
“No, no, no, no,” Alvey mentioned. “I’m not sufficiently old or retired sufficient for him to need to battle me. Or sufficiently small [laughs]. I’m too younger. I’m too athletic. I’m too huge, 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 end result that snapped a nine-fight winless skid. The 54-fight MMA veteran mentioned that might find yourself being his remaining look within the sport.
“I hope I’m completed with MMA,” Alvey mentioned. “I like MMA, however I hope I’m completed with that. I hope Karate Fight and I can work collectively for very long time to come back. … 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 supplied me a bajillion. Would you supply me a bajillion, or how near a bajillion might you get?’ That may be splendid [laughs].”
Alvey is unbeaten since becoming a member of Karate Fight in late 2023. Greater than that, he’s dwelling the most effective life.
“I 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 struggle. Karate Fight actually does. Every part they do is to make it a greater expertise for the individuals watching at house. Shoot, should you ever get an opportunity to go to a Karate Fight, it’s so cool.
“The fighters are eye-level. In a cage, should you’re on the UFC occasion, yeah, it’s cool, however you’re all the time trying up at both the cage or as everybody does, they have a look at the display screen, as a result of no person likes to observe their battle by the cage. I’ve all the time most well-liked watching fights in a hoop, and now the pit is best than the whole lot.”
Alvey appears to be like to maintain his belt by beating Spong this weekend and has the utmost respect for his opponent’s story in fight sports activities.
“He is likely to be the best kickboxer to have ever lived,” Alvey mentioned. “There’s only some those who may very well 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 come back again out of his little retirement to battle me, it’s an enormous honor.”
One factor Alvey gained’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 gentle heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at a UFC Battle Evening present in Mexico again in 2017.
“This would be the second largest battle I’ve ever had,” Alvey mentioned of Spong. “Rashad must be No. 1. He’s a UFC Corridor of Famer, however Spong is correct there. I consider Spong is Rashad’s coach, in order that’s type of cool too.”
Spong scored knockouts in all however one among 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 acquired to recollect I hit simply as laborious, possibly more durable,” Alvey mentioned. “I consider I’ve extra knockouts than him. I’m not optimistic, I do know it’s shut. We hit laborious. We’re each very conscious of how laborious we hit and we’re each very conscious of how to not get hit by each other. That’s type of the sport. We acquired to determine the 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 believe 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 difficult. Except you have got 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. Based on the MMA veteran, the pit performed a think about his change.
“I attempted to alter [in the UFC] however I’m an outdated canine and it takes an actual change in venue apparently to make me change the way in which 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 complete profession. It was the rise and fall of me within the UFC. The pit, I can’t stroll backwards. I can’t do it as a result of should you stroll backwards, you fall over. I acquired 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 way in which I battle due to it.
“And now, a little bit bit in my final one and my final two, I’ve been capable of reap the benefits 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 taking part in the Ninja Turtle sport 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 serious 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 understand how I fought. I fought backwards. Folks fell into that entice, they’d assault and I’d catch them on the way in which in. As soon as they figured that out, they have been capable of time me. ‘Simply blitz them sooner than he can react, we’ll catch them.’ And it began working. The pit has modified the way in which 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 a must 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 facility 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 laborious, 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 advantageous going the space.
“The very last thing to go on a fighter and an athlete is their energy. He has all the time been an influence striker. Every part he’s completed is he throws it to not harm me, however to kill me. I don’t suspect that’s gone. He most likely hits as laborious, possibly more durable than he’s ever hit earlier than. I simply have to have the ability to time the pictures. I’ve to have the ability to decide my pictures and don’t attempt to get in a slug match with him as a result of I understand how laborious he hits.”
