CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPWINDOWS APPRSS
NEW FORUM

GOT THE MMATORCH APP YET?
iPhone & iPad
Android
Kindle Fire
Windows Phone
MMATORCH IPHONE APP

MMATORCH

All the MMA News • Plus Intelligent, Brilliant, Addictive Points of View!
Independently Covering MMA Since 1993 • No Big Corporate Bosses

Interviews
MMATorch Interview: "Smile'N" Sam Alvey on UFC Fight Night 61 win, UFC's drug testing plans, more
Feb 25, 2015 - 4:55:17 PM
MMATorch Interview: "Smile'N" Sam Alvey on UFC Fight Night 61 win, UFC's drug testing plans, more
DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM
...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!



Sam_Alvey.jpg


By: Michael Bane, MMATorch Contributor

Coming off an exciting knockout finish over Cezar Ferriera at UFC Fight Night 61, middleweight fighter Sam Alvey took time out of his busy schedule for an interview with MMATorch. "Smile'N" Sam gives some reflections into the life of an MMA fighter, his thoughts on the UFC's recent initiative to stop PED use, and other interesting insights in the interview below:

Michael Bane: First of all, congratulations on your win and highlight reel knockout of Cezar Ferriera. For the first couple minutes of the fight, Ferreira appeared to be much more active. What was your strategy early on in the fight? What was going through your head when you threw that right-left combination and then saw him go down?

Sam Alvey: I was a little less active than I meant to be, but he was the fastest opponent I think I have ever fought, and that caught me off guard a little bit. The plan was to let him kick a lot [at the] beginning, just to help me find the right distance. When he finally connected with a short elbow, he put himself in my distance perfectly and I threw what I practiced. As soon as he fell down my first instinct was that the fight was over. The ref didn't stop it, so I had to add my last two punches.

BANE: In the post-fight interview, you called out Dan Kelly. Is there any particular reason you'd like to face him next? If he's not available, who are some other fighters you'd like to see on the other side of the Octagon for your next fight?

ALVEY: Dan Kelly and I got to talk backstage when I fought down in Australia. I really liked him and he seemed like a hard-working, down-to-earth kind a fighter. He also had one of the best fights of the night while we were down there. And to top everything else off he's undefeated. The reason I called him out is because I have the utmost respect for him and I know he and I would be the fight of the night. Two guys that aren't afraid to hit each other, but are both very experienced on the ground as well. Luke Barnatt is the other guy I'd like to fight.

BANE: You dropped down to welterweight for your stint on The Ultimate Fighter. What made you decide to move back up to middleweight?

ALVEY: The welterweight experience is what made me decide never to do it again. I've always been a firm believer in that if a fight is offered to take it, and even though I knew 170 would be next to impossible for me, I had to accept. Someday when I'm champion, I'll be up for a super fight at either 170 or 205 lbs.. You can rest assured I will accept without hesitation.

BANE: Those of us who have never done a weight cut have no idea what it's like. Some of them seem pretty brutal. Is it as horrible as it's often made out to be?

ALVEY: The weight cut is harder than any other aspect of fighting. On top of the training for 8 to 12 weeks before the fight, the final hours consist of putting yourself [in] pain keeping yourself there for hours at a time. If you don't plan it out perfectly, you're weak and it becomes detrimental to your fight the next day. So, while you are sitting there hating life, you're also scared you might be doing something wrong.

BANE: "Smile'N" may not be the nickname that strikes the most fear into the heart of an opponent, but it seems to be reflective of your attitude toward MMA. What is it about being an MMA fighter that keeps you so upbeat?

ALVEY: I just love fighting. I love every aspect of it. The day-to-day grind of trying to make little improvements in yourself, the constant knowledge that any fight could be your last fight, and the enjoyment I get out of every competition. I just love this gift that God has given me.

BANE: If you had to compare your fighting style to any past or current fighter, is there one in particular that comes to mind?

ALVEY: Someday I'll fight like Anderson Silva, elusive, never taking any punishment, but realistically I fight more like Dan Henderson. Not afraid to take a shot to give a really good shot.

BANE: What UFC fight this year are you most looking forward to watching?

ALVEY: I'm not even sure who he's fighting, but I believe Tom Gallicchio will be making his UFC debut and I am ecstatic to see that happen. RNC all day, every day.

BANE: What's your ideal time between fights, and how many times do you want to fight in 2015?

ALVEY: If I could, I'd fight eleven times this year. I've done it before, and I will try to do it again.

BANE: Has the recent rash of high-profile UFC fighters failing tests for PEDs surprised you? How do you feel about the UFC's plan to implement year-round, random drug testing? Do you think it will be an effective deterrent?

ALVEY: It doesn't surprise me at all that more fighters are testing positive for PED's. I don't know anything, but I would have guessed roughly 85-90% of the UFC roster is in some way taking a PED. I think this new plan of the UFC to test more often and randomly is going to work, and I think because it's going to work lots of fighters are going to be dropping weight classes.

BANE: There's been a wide range of opinions on whether or not the Reebok uniform deal with the UFC is good or bad for fighters. What's your take?

ALVEY: I think this Reebok deal is a wonderful idea. Not only are the fighters going to be compensated for this deal (and we don't need to be) it will bring a level of the sport that is not been seen ever. Reebok is a high-end quality product, and they will be sponsoring the highest end quality product.

BANE: If you could change anything about the way mixed martial artists are currently employed and contracted, what would it be?

ALVEY: For me personally, I would like to see higher show money and lower win money. What I mean by that is now the fighter might make $8,000 to show and $8,000 to win. I would like to see the payout look more like $12,000 to show and $4,000 to win. The incentive to win is still there, but the gut-crushing fear of loss is lessened.

BANE: In a perfect world, how long would you continue to fight for?

ALVEY: I plan on fighting for as long as my body will allow it. Dan Henderson is 44 years old and I would like to beat his record.

BANE: If you could be known for one thing either in or out of MMA, what would you want it to be?

ALVEY: In the fighting world I would like to be known as the guy who would fight on an hour's notice if asked. In my world outside of fighting, I would like to be known as a great husband and father.

BANE: Finish this sentence for me: Sam Alvey fights for the middleweight title in _______.

ALVEY: 2016

The preceding interview was conducted via email on 2.24.15. Sam Alvey is currently an MMA fighter in the UFC's middleweight division. Michael Bane is an attorney and MMA enthusiast working out of Chicago, Illinois.


DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
MMATorch Interview: Bellator 145's David Rickels strives to be more than "average journeyman guy"
Mike Bronzoulis on Bellator "Dynamite 1" bout with Josh Thomson: "Everyone's going to know who I am after this fight" (MMATorch Interview)
Former XFO Amateur Flyweight Champ David Williams excited for first outdoor bout in second pro fight

comments powered by Disqus
HERE ARE EVEN MORE ARTICLES THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU

SELECT ARTICLES BY CATEGORY
SEARCH MMATORCH BY KEYWORD


MMATORCH CALENDAR OF EVENTS
CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF UPCOMING MMA EVENTS
CLICK TO SEE A UFC VIDEO BELOW

ARTICLES OF INTEREST ELSEWHERE
MMATORCH POLL - VOTE NOW!

Will T.J. Dillashaw and Urijah Faber eventually fight?
 
pollcode.com free polls

Do you think Daniel Cormier will defeat returning Jon Jones to legitimize UFC Light Heavyweight Title reign?
 
pollcode.com free polls

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

MMATORCH WEEKLY LIVECAST
Listen to the weekly MMATORCH LIVECAST on Blog Talk Radio


MMATORCH STAFF

EDITORS:

Wade Keller, supervising editor
(mmatorch@gmail.com)

Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)

STAFF COLUMNISTS:

Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey


Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.

MORE MMA SITES
CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPWINDOWS APPRSS
THE TORCH: #1 IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE | © 1999-2013 TDH Communications Inc. • All rights reserved -- PRIVACY POLICY