Thiago Alves and Max Griffin are set to clash at UFC Fortaleza (UFC Fight Night 144) next year, in a welterweight battle with the potential for fireworks.
The UFC’s next trip to Fortaleza, Brazil will include one of the UFC’s longest-tenured Brazilian stars, taking on a gritty up-and-comer. Former welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves will face Max Griffin at UFC Fortaleza (UFC Fight Night 144), Cageside Press confirmed with a source close to the fight today. MMA Junkie first reported the match-up.
Alves (22-13) will be making his 24th trip to the octagon as a welterweight in the UFC. That ties him for the promotional record in the weight class, alongside Josh Koscheck and Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown. The Brazilian last fought at UFC Moscow in September, suffering something of a surprise defeat against Alexey Kunchenko. In his last four fights, Alves is 1-4, and is looking to get back on track when he faces Max ‘Pain.’
Griffin (14-5) has proven a gritty character in the UFC, and certainly built up his fan base with a three-round beatdown of Mike Perry at UFC Orlando back in February of this year. Griffin has traded wins and losses since joining the UFC, and most recently lost a unanimous decision to the red-hot Curtis Millender at UFC 226.
UFC Fortaleza goes down February 2, 2019 at the Northeast Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil. The show is the promotion’s second on ESPN+. UFC officials have not yet officially announced the fight.
