It’s been a roller coaster of a day for UFC middleweight “Smile’n” Sam Alvey.
Alvey (33-16-1, 1NC) revealed on social media Tuesday that opponent Phil Hawes had been forced out of their UFC Vegas 47 match-up on Saturday, apparently due to injury. While that was apt to turn Alvey’s smile into a frown, some better news came along later in the day: a replacement opponent had been found, in the form of former LFA champ Brendan Allen (17-5).
News of Allen stepping up was first reported by Eurosport.nl. Allen later confirmed the booking on social media.
When UFC Vegas 47 arrives, Alvey will almost certainly be fighting for his job. The amicable fighter has dropped six of his last seven bouts, with a draw against Da Un Jung at UFC 254 the only bright spot since 2018. Losses to Little Nog, Ryan Spann, Jimmy Crute, Wellington Turman (in a foul-filled split decision) litter his record, but Alvey’s fan-friendly style has kept him around longer than most.
Allen, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Chris Curtis. Prior to that, “All In” had won back-to-back fights inside the octagon against Karl Robertson and Punahele Soriano.
UFC Vegas 47 goes down this Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas, headlined by another middleweight affair featuring Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland. The following bouts are currently attached to the event:
Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
Punahele Soriano vs. Nick Maximov
Shavkat Rakhmanov vs. Carlston Harris
Tresean Gore vs. Bryan Battle
Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson
Miles Johns vs. John Castaneda
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Michael Trizano
Chidi Njokuani vs. Marc-André Barriault
Jason Witt vs. Phillip Rowe
Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko
Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques
Malcolm Gordon vs. Denys Bondar
Sam Alvey vs. Brendan Allen
