Many questioned the inclusion of Sam Alvey on the UFC Vegas 59 card on Saturday night, and the badly slumping Octagon veteran did nothing to prove his detractors wrong.
Alvey, 36, is one of the more well-liked competitors the UFC has seen over the last decade. He has never come close to being a contender at middleweight or light heavyweight, and he never even reached the top 10 of those divisions’ rankings. However, he has always been an exciting fighter to watch, and his trademark grin before fights has endeared “Smile’n” to fight fans.
Nevertheless, Alvey has been putrid inside the Octagon over the last four years. There really is no other way to say it. The now 50-fight veteran has been in a horrid career nose dive since a technical knockout loss to Pride FC great Antonio Rogerio Nogueira four years ago. Ever since that defeat in Sept. 2018, Alvey has gone winless in his next seven bouts, suffering another knockout loss and two submission setbacks in that time.
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The UFC prides itself on having the best fighters in the world on their roster, but Alvey has been underserving of a roster spot for a couple of years now. Yet, despite fan pleas, and logic, the organization put him back in the Octagon on Aug. 6 and Alvey showcased more of what has been a legendary winless streak.
Sam Alvey suffers another knockout loss at UFC Vegas 59
On Saturday night, it took less than a minute for Michal Oleksiejczuk to land a punch on Alvey that put him into survival mode. Eventually, Alvey would find himself on the mat getting pummeled by his foe. Nevertheless, the durability he has always had allowed him to endure and get the bout back to a standing position. However, he was still wobbly and primed for a fall.
With blood in the water and on his opponent’s face, “Hussar” pressured his older foe and looked for a strike that could put Alvey out of his misery. He found it in the form of a left hook less than two minutes into the round. The blow floored Alvey and forced referee Herb Dean to immediately step in and end the bout.
The victory moved Oleksiejczuk to 5-3-1 inside the Octagon. Unfortunately, Alvey’s latest loss moved his winless streak in the UFC to nine straight. He has not earned a win inside the organization since June of 2018.