|
|
  - ALVES TALKS UFC 85 WEIGHT CUT & TITLE SHOT
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com (Photo courtesy of UFC)
(Photography by Josh Hedges, copyright Zuffa, LLC.)
Accepting the fight against Matt Hughes as the main event of UFC 85, Thiago Alves understood the importance of the bout. A title shot could be on the line. Superstar status in the world of MMA could be on the line. But for all the status that followed the fight of his lifetime, Alves was unable to make the 170-pound weight limit.
“I sprained my ankle really, really bad, the Thursday the week before the fight at the sparring session. I was out for three days and I couldn’t do much. I couldn’t walk and I took an x-ray and everything,” Alves explained during an appearance on MMAWeekly Radio on Monday night. “I didn’t break anything, but I sprained the ankle. The ligament was really bad, everything was really swollen, so I just did physical therapy.”
Immediately, Alves took it upon himself to notify his manager and the management of the Ultimate Fighting Championship about the injury.
“I called my manager, Mr. Dan Lambert, and I told him to call Joe Silva and everything, to ask permission so I could take a cortisone shot, that was pretty much it. I couldn’t do anything for three days, so my weight got really heavy,” Alves commented. “I couldn’t work out. When you take a cortisone shot, you kind of hold water in your body, and I was doing fine, but the last four pounds I couldn’t make it, I couldn’t do it. I sat in the sauna; it was really bad. I apologize to the UFC, I apologize to all my fans.”
Despite Alves’ willingness to battle through the pain to make the fight happen, his doctors actually advised against his participation in the bout because of the severely sprained ankle.
“I talked to my doctor and everything and I told them ‘No I want to fight. It doesn’t matter; I want to fight. I want to fight.’ They said, ‘Listen, if you have any broken bones, you’re not going to fight. I’m not going to sign off for you to fight.’ Just thankful not to have anything broke, and thank God I didn’t,” stated Alves.
“He said, ‘I still think you shouldn’t fight.’ Look at my ankle right now, it’s even swollen right now, because of the fight, it’s even bigger than it was before the fight, but everything’s good. It was all worth it.”
Alves confirmed in the interview with MMAWeekly Radio that because he didn’t make weight he would have to give his opponent, Matt Hughes, 10% of his purse. The former champion was aware of the situation and was okay taking the fight.
Hughes himself confirmed as much following the fight.
Still adamant about trying to make the weight for the fight happen, Alves said the whole situation did take its toll mentally because he was unable to make 170 pounds.
“I called my manager crying, going crazy, ‘I can’t make the weight, I’ll have to pass out, Dan, I can’t make the weight.’”
The upper management of the UFC dealt with the situation professionally, as did Hughes, and the fight was allowed to continue. In the end, Alves walked out with a knockout victory over the two time former welterweight champion and now that the fight and the weight situation are behind him, Alves has gold on his mind.
“We’re waiting right now for the UFC to call. I think I got one more fight in the contract, so we got to re-negotiate the contract and everything. I think the next fight’s going to be for the title,” Alves said. “I’ve got to wait for Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch to fight and we’ll see. I want to be the champion. I know I’m going to be the champion, I know it. It’s just a matter of time.”
And while St. Pierre and Fitch battle for the UFC welterweight title on Aug. 9 in Minnesota, Alves says he’ll be sitting front row center waiting for the winner to emerge and he’ll be ready for the challenge.
“I’ll be there,” he stated. “I’ll be more than ready. I’m ready right now.”
BACK TO THE NEWS
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Related Articles :
- - UFC 85 MAIN BOUT RECAP AND PHOTOS (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)
A recap of the main card bouts from Saturday night's UFC 85 fight card at the O2 Arena in London where Thiago Alves defeated Matt Hughes and jumped up the queue for a shot at the welterweight title, along with photos courtesy of the UFC...
- - DESPITE UFC 85, DON'T PULL THE CURTAIN ON HUGHES (Monday, June 09, 2008)
Despite a deflating loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 85, calls for former champion Matt Hughes' retirement may be a bit premature. At least, according to him ...
- - UPSET WITH UFC 85 STOPPAGE, VERA WANTS REMATCH (Sunday, June 08, 2008)
Brandon "The Truth" Vera was defeated by Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85, but the heavyweight fighter did not agree with the referee stoppage with 20 seconds left in round one and wants a rematch with Werdum ...
- - UFC 85 AWARDS: YOUNGSTERS EARN $50,000 BONUSES (Saturday, June 07, 2008)
Youth prevailed at UFC 85 on Saturday night as the oldest winner of the "of the Night" awards - and a $50,000 bonus check - was just 28-years-old...
- - UFC 85 REVIEW: ALVES STUNS HUGHES; BISPING ROLLS (Saturday, June 07, 2008)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division may have just found its next top contender, as Thiago “Pitbull” Alves finished former champion Matt Hughes at UFC 85 on Saturday night ...
- - UFC 85 RESULTS AND LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY (Saturday, June 07, 2008)
MMAWeekly.com will be bringing you live results and play-by-play of Saturday's UFC 85 from the O2 Arena in London...
- - UFC 85: THIRD TIME A CHARM FOR THALES LEITES? (Saturday, June 07, 2008)
Thales Leites returns to the Octagon at Ultimate Fighting Championship 85 in London, England. The Brazilian fighter will finally face Nathan Marquardt, a fight that has already eluded him twice before...
- - DANA WHITE SAYS UFC HEADED TO ATLANTA (Friday, June 06, 2008)
In a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine, UFC president Dana White indicated that the company is headed for Atlanta with Chuck Liddell in tow ...
- - FIGHT-BY-FIGHT: UFC 85 HUGHES VS. ALVES (Friday, June 06, 2008)
MMAWeekly.com's Ricardo Mendoza breaks down UFC 85 featuring a main event of Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves at the O2 Arena in London...
- - UFC 85 WEIGH-INS: THIAGO ALVES MISSES WEIGHT (Friday, June 06, 2008)
UFC 85 main event fighter Thiago Alves failed to make weight on Friday in London, coming in a full three pounds over the allowable 171 pounds for welterweight ...
- - UFC 85: HUGHES NOT LOOKING PAST ALVES (Friday, June 06, 2008)
Matt Hughes, by far, is the more experienced fighter heading into his bout with Thiago Alves at UFC 85 in London, but he's not looking past the youngster...
- - NATE MARQUARDT'S UFC 85 FIGHT JOURNAL PT. 5 (Friday, June 06, 2008)
Nate Marquardt is now in jolly old England ready to fight Thales Leites at UFC 85. In his final journal entry before the fight, he talks about the final days of preparation as he prepares to cut weight and head on to the fight...
- - UFC 85: WIN OVER HUGHES PUTS ALVES IN CONTENTION (Thursday, June 05, 2008)
Defeating Karo Parisyan is what put American Top Team fighter Thiago Alves in the Top 10 in the world, but on June 7 he has a chance to fight former UFC champion Matt Hughes and possibly place himself as the No. 1 contender for the title...
- - UFC 85: MARQUARDT EYEING LEITES, TITLE SHOT (Wednesday, June 04, 2008)
Nathan Marquardt knows he needs a win over Thales Leites at UFC 85 in Londond to get back in the hunt for Anderson Silva's UFC middleweight title...
Copyright 2009 MMA Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MMA Weekly content is expressly prohibited without expressed written consent of MMA Weekly. MMA Weekly will not be liable for any errors in content or any action taken in reliance thereof.
|
|
|
|
