Some fighters hate giving predictions for their bouts, some are happy to oblige, and then there’s Sam Alvey, who’s hoping luck is on his side against Klidson Abreu at UFC San Antonio.
San Antonio, TX — Sam Alvey will have his smile on display once again at UFC San Antonio. Returning to action for the first time since a TKO loss against Jimmy Crute in February that left him fuming, Alvey is taking on Klidson Abreu — and Smilin’ Sam admitted on Friday that he doesn’t know a ton about his opponent.
“I do know that he’s Brazilian. I found out that his official name is Abreu. I’ve been wondering the whole time how to pronounce it,” Alvey told Cageside Press on Friday. “And I know he’s got some sweet wins. Not in the UFC yet, so I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen. But he’s got some pretty nice wins in his past organizations.”
As to how the fight came together, it’s about as simple as you could imagine. “They e-mailed my wife and said, ‘Hey, want to fight this guy?’ I just said yes. Then we googled who he was and went from there.”
Alvey, who is tied for the most UFC fights within a twelve month span (six, with Donald Cerrone), isn’t one to pick and choose. “I know I can beat anyone on any given day, I just have to get it. Hopefully, I’ll beat this guy, then I’ll get somebody else, and maybe the next guy will be the biggest name in the world.” While he’ll fight all comers, that’s not to say he doesn’t have his choices. “Maybe that Anthony Smith fight will finally happen or maybe I’ll get somebody else where I have to figure out how to pronounce his name. But it all starts tomorrow. I’m going to go out and make sure he doesn’t get that first win.”
Fighting in Texas, the Team Quest fighter said that “I feel great. I’ve got my family here. My kids were at the weigh-ins. My wife is everywhere with me. I just feel great. Another day at the office. I’m about to get some Jimmy John’s. So it’s going to be a good couple of days for me.”
Alvey explained that Jimmy John’s was his choice rather than authentic Texas cuisine because it was across the street, and 114 degrees outside. With that in mind, who can blame him? However, Alvey, who works with George Lockhart, has “been eating great,” he told Cageside Press Friday. In fact, he was eating “every three hours on the hour since I got off the plane. I really was never hungry.” Ahead of weigh-ins, “a little thirsty this morning. But never hungry.”
The locals in San Antonio have been super friendly as well, asking Alvey about his trademark Smiley Face haircut. So it’s nice to be at home, in terms of fighting in the U.S. “I was in Australia last, I was in Brazil before that, I was in Canada before that. But I was in Florida four fights ago. So it’s been a while. I like being close to home this time too.” Added bonus — “there’s no state income tax here!”
“On his way into the cage, he stubs his toe, so he’s off to a bad start,” Alvey joked about how he gets the win Saturday. “I’ll take it [how I can get it]. Some people don’t want to wish [bad] luck, I’ll take luck over skill any day. Luck will beat skill. How do you think I got my wife? It wasn’t skill. I got lucky,” he said with a laugh.
“So he stubs his toe, he’s a little limping, bell rings, then the five second knockout from two weeks ago, I get it in four seconds.” Tune in Saturday to see if Alvey’s prediction comes to pass.
Check out the rest of our interview with Sam Alvey ahead of UFC San Antonio above.
