Thiago Alves is about to start a new chapter in his fighting career.
The long-time UFC welterweight contender and former title challenger recently signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship after finishing his UFC contract and testing free agency. The Brazilian expects to make his bare-knuckle boxing debut on May 16 in Miami but has yet to be booked against an opponent. Alves (23-15 MMA) plans to compete at 165 pounds but said he is open to 175, as well.
Having fought under the UFC banner for nearly 15 years, Alves reached the pinnacle of MMA when fought for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 100 against Georges St-Pierre, going the distance with a dominant champion before dropping a unanimous decision.
Alves became a staple of the UFC 170-pound division and gave fans many fights and knockouts to remember.
Ahead of his transition to bare-knuckle boxing, MMA Junkie caught up with “Pitbull” to discuss his decision to leave the UFC and sign with BKFC.
Below is a transcription of the conversation with Alves:
How do you feel about decision to sign with BKFC a few weeks ago?
“I feel pretty good, man. I went to see a show they had a few weeks ago. Feb. 14, Hector Lombard fought. I liked it, you know, they’re very organized. The show was a lot of high-level fights, and their organization, the venue, everybody, staff were very nice to me. So I’m excited, man. I’m excited to be a part of something new, a new sport in a way that’s growing every year in America.
“I have a lot of guys in the gym that are already thinking about doing some bare-knuckle fights a little bit later down in their career, so I think you’re going to see a shift from MMA to bare-knuckle boxing. I’m excited to be a part of this company right now. I think it’s the perfect time to be in it, to really make my mark and walk away on a high note.”
Does this mean you’re done with fighting professionally in MMA?
“Yeah, for now, definitely. I got a phenomenal contract with Bare Knuckle FC. My goal was to bring a belt, bring a bare-knuckle boxing belt to American Top Team. We don’t have one of those yet, and I think we’re the perfect camp to collect belts in every combat sport out there. So my goal right now is 100 percent to be the best I can be in bare-knuckle boxing. And then, once I’m done with that chapter, then we see. But in my head, pretty much I’m done with MMA for now.”
You said you were in talks with PFL and Bellator prior to signing with BKFC. What ultimately pushed you to go the bare-knuckle boxing route?
“It was just something different, something new. I’ve been fighting MMA my whole life. My first fight was at 17, so it’s been 19 years of competing in MMA. I just wanted something new that makes sense financially, and bare-knuckle boxing gave me this opportunity to kind of refresh my career at this moment. Jumping to a new territory is exciting and savage, it’s bare-knuckle, so I’m excited to test myself, and I think my fighting style is perfect for it. There were some good offers on the table from Bellator, PFL, but bare-knuckle boxing was the best one, and it made more sense for me and it excites me the most.”
Have you ever fought bare-knuckle?
“So my first five MMA fights back in Brazil were all bare-knuckle. It was MMA, but PRIDE FC rules, you know? You could headbutt, we could kick to the head when the guy’s down on the floor, and there was no gloves. So, yeah, pretty much. I know it’s gonna be a little bit of an adjustment, you know, and I won’t know 100 percent until I’m actually in the ring, but I think I’m going to be just fine, man. I’m not afraid of getting punched or getting hit. I’m going to just stay in the middle and swing and see who stops first.”
So how was your experience fighting bare-knuckle? What did you take away from it?
“So when you’re fighting bare-knuckle, you can’t load up on every punch, especially when you throw to the head. You’ve got to make sure you’re very precise. Hits to the face are mostly speed and precision. You’ve got to be fast and you have to be precise. You have to throw a lot of volume. You’re able to load up a little bit more to the body since you’re not hitting bones and you’re pretty much just hitting muscles and ribs. So to the body, you can get a little bit more reckless. But to the head, you’ve got to make sure you have that speed, you have the volume, and you’re very precise – and that’s kind of my style. I’m a sniper. You don’t see me winging a lot of punches. Usually, when I throw, I’m going to make sure I connect, especially when I was fighting them taller guys. So I’ll make sure to get inside, and I’m going to throw something I’m 100 percent sure it’s going to land.”
Leg kicks are a big part of your game in MMA. How do you feel about striking and not being able to use them with BKFC?
“It’s a limited fight, right? You’re just boxing, and for me coming from MMA, I’m used to use everything. It’s definitely a limited fight from what I’m used to. But once you break it down, what can you do, the weapons that you have, then it becomes very exciting. There’s a lot of different angles you can play with. I have a lot of power on both hands, so yeah, it’s going to be a little bit of adjustment.
“You know with my fighting style, the way I position myself and everything, I’m going to throw, and it’s going to be heat, and we’re working with a lot of different angles. The good thing about ATT is that you have so many different looks, so I can train and test things day in, day out. I’ve got great coaches. It’s going to be a little bit of adjustment, but I don’t think it’s going to be any problems, you know? I think I’ll be able to adjust and really thrive in that environment.”
A lot has been made about the facial damage bare-knuckle boxing carries compared to MMA. What do you make of that?
“Honestly, it wasn’t as bad. I went to the show they had here Feb. 14 when Hector fought, and yeah, the only thing I saw all the fighters had were swollen hands, swollen knuckles after that. But to the face, I see a lot of MMA fights where guys get a lot more damage than they did in bare-knuckle boxing. Again, if you’re fighting high-level guys, they’re not just going to throw punches. They going to make sure that when they throw, they land. So honestly, I’m prepared to bleed if I have to. That has never scared me, that has never stopped me. But I have a good feeling about this. I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as everybody sees, you know? But if it is, it is what it is, man. I’m a good looking dude, but I’m not a face model. A little bit more scars on my face, it’s just going to make me look, you know, more appealing.”
I know you’re not completely closing the door on MMA, but if this were your final run with the UFC, what would your favorite memory be?
“There was this moment when after two years of layoff, I think it was 2014, I was out for a little bit over two years. I had four surgeries back-to-back, and then I was able to fight, not in my backyard, but here in South Florida. It was in Orlando, and I got ‘Fight of the Night’ against Seth Baczynski. That was huge for me. And then after that, I fought and beat Jordan Mein in Vegas, you know? That was another good moment, but this one is special to me because I was out for over two years, with four surgeries, and I had a lot of doubts in my head going in because, you know, this sport can change so much within a year – imagine in two years.
“So I was able to get back in there and overcome all the fears and win and get a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, so that was very special to me. Of course, when I beat Matt Hughes, that was the fight that everybody knew who I was after that. And fighting for the belt, I have a lot of good memories, man. A lot of good memories, you know? I have no complaints. I don’t at all.
“The only thing I couldn’t do was become a champion, but again, I was fighting against Georges St-Pierre, and he was so ahead of the time. Even when he decided to come back after four years, the guy still became a champion, and in a weight-class above. So I learned so much, and I have so much experience. I’ve been through pretty much everything you can think of in MMA when it comes to injuries, when it comes to victories, when it comes to defeat.
“So I’m happy, I’m fulfilled. If that was my last run in UFC and MMA, I’m happy with what I’ve done. I don’t look too much in the past and reminisce as much, but I’m in a good place. My heart is in a good place, and I could have fought in the UFC again. I just decided that I wasn’t as excited to do what I was doing, and that’s one of the reasons I decided to see what’s out there. Then bare-knuckle boxing just landed on my lap.
“But yeah, dude, I’m blessed, I’m happy. A kid that comes from Fortaleza, Brazil was able to do what I’ve done. I don’t think nobody in my city has done what I’ve done in MMA, so I have no complaints. I’m just thankful and blessed to do what I do and be part of an amazing camp that is American Top Team. It literally allowed me to do everything I’ve done so far.”
