Will Sam Alvey’s smile turn into a frown while he’s down under? Well no, but he’s got reason to be smiling after taking a short notice fight on a bigger card, as he steps up against Jim Crute at UFC 234.
Smilin’ Sam Alvey is not shying away from short notice scraps. On Friday, Australia’s News.com.au reported that Ryan Spann was out of his fight against Jim Crute. And stepping in against Crute would be none other than Alvey, who has gone 2-1 since venturing up to the light heavyweight division early last year.
Spann was apparently forced off the the card after breaking his hand during training. Crute himself would later confirm the switch of opponents.
Alvey (33–11 (1)) will head to Brazil looking to bounce back from a loss to ‘Little Nog,’ Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Prior to that, he had captured wins against Marcin Prachnio and Gian Villante. A member of the UFC roster since 2014, Alvey has become known for fighting often, and fighting anyone, frequently on short notice. He is tied with Donald Cerrone for the UFC record for most fights in a twelve month period, at six.
The man with the best smile in the sport was expected to fight Gadzhimurad Antigulov at UFC Prague, but that fight will have to be rescheduled, or a replacement found.
Jim Crute (9-0), meanwhile, is returning from a late third round submission win against Paul Craig at UFC Fight Night 142.
UFC 234 takes place in Melbourne, Australia on February 10 (local time, February 9 in North America). Robert Whittaker faces Kelvin Gastelum in the main event.
