In the featured matchup of UFC Rio, we saw a fight that I was a little confused by ahead of the matchup and it’s one that felt odd after the fact. Brazil’s Vicente Luque (23-12-1) welcomed Joel Alvarez (23-3) to the welterweight division.
While Vicente Luque made the walk on Saturday just a year and a half older than Alvarez, he easily feels ten years older in terms of his fighting career. Luque has been in some wars and he’s taken a ton of damage. That said, he’s still hanging around after everything and he wanted to play spoiler in his home country.
Joel Alvarez had a really strong run at lightweight, but he was clearly struggling to make 155 pounds. He pulled the trigger on moving up providing the welterweight division with another exciting contender to add to the ranks.
This felt like a Joel Alvarez showcase fight and I expected him to get the finish at UFC Rio. Instead, we got a really awkward fight that ended in a lopsided decision. After a decent opening round where he landed some big shots, Alvarez seemed to coast in the final two rounds.
Luque pulled guard in the second round after Alvarez failed to take him down, but Alvarez never fully let go with his ground strikes. In the third round, Alvarez again got Luque down, but it just felt like he was holding back a bit. He won a dominant 30-26 decision on all the cards at UFC Rio, but it just felt like a meh performance.
What’s next after UFC Rio?
With his win on Saturday, Alvarez has now won four fights in a row and overall, he’s 8-1 in his last nine fights. On paper, you’d be really excited to see him up against ranked competition, but I’m not sure what to do with him after UFC Rio.
Yes, it was a dominant decision win, but it just felt like he should’ve done more given the opponent and that opportunity. Nevertheless, a win is a win and now he has a fresh path at 170.
In terms of next opponents, I think there are a number of different directions the UFC can go. If they want someone on the rise, they could look at someone like a Puna Soriano who looks like a new fighter after moving to 170 pounds.
If they want Alvarez to get another opportunity against a proven veteran, they could look at someone like a Michael Chiesa who has won three in a row. Daniel Rodriguez could be another option, but I also think we should watch one fight this weekend.
Kevin Holland and Mike Malott are fighting at UFC Vancouver. Holland is currently ranked 15th and while I don’t feel like Malott is in that same ballpark, a win would put him in the rankings. I think pairing Alvarez against the winner of that fight would be a great next fight for all involved.
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