Sam Alvey saw the writing on the wall.
After falling to 0-7-1 in his past eight fights following a submission loss to Brendan Allen back in February, the 36-year-old veteran expected to hear the news that the UFC was releasing him from his contract. In fact, when UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard’s name popped up on his phone days after his fight, Alvey had already braced himself for the news.
“I was walking into a YMCA and Mick Maynard called,” Alvey revealed on The Fighter vs. The Writer. My wife was walking so I quickly grabbed her and we headed to the car. He chatted with me. My wife and I knew we were going to get cut. There’s just no two ways about it. We were not cut by him.
“He said ‘we’ve talked to Dana [White], we talked to everyone and these are the reasons.’ They kind of said you’ve taken a lot of fights that most people would not have taken. Short notice, you’ve gone across seas, you’ve always showed up and your fights are always entertaining and on top of all that, he said you are a joy to work with. Your team will be excited to meet you when you fight every week at the [UFC Performance Institute],. You bring a positivity with you that most fighters don’t. We appreciate that.”
Alvey was understandably shocked because he had already assumed he’d be looking for a new promotion to call home for his next fight after a self-admitted terrible run in his last eight fights.
Alvey was now allowed to fight in the UFC’s final fight, but it was suggested that he might consider this the end of his career.
“He stated that we would recommend you to retire afterward, but we will let you continue fighting [the last fight on your deal],” Alvey. It was almost like you weren’t going to retire, but it’s something we recommended. We’ll see what happens. It’s my plan to leave, and I will fight for a re-signing. They were very nice about it.
“This is my 25th fight in the UFC. I’ve been there for the last decade. There have been many good fights and ‘the night’ performances. They also mentioned that you had some judges who made decisions they didn’t agree with. We’re going let you fight for your contract because of all these reasons. I replied, “Well, thank you very much. You just made my day.” I’m going to go run on the treadmill and get ready for the next one. Since that call, I have been running on the treadmill and getting ready for the next one. I’ve been re-energized, re-hyped and I’m fighting for the future of ‘Smilin’ Sam.'”
Since Alvey announced that UFC would give him another fight, there has been a lot of criticism on social media.
While he has received many comments from his fans wishing him success, the former Ultimate Fighter competitor knows that negativity rings much louder than positive.
That said, Alvey hopes he’ll get the chance to silence those voices with his performance on Saturday at UFC Vegas 59.
” I am very happy to finally get out of this miserable, long skid,” Alvey stated. “Just leave the internet speechless. This is exactly what I look forward to.
“I’m looking forward to getting this next win under my belt so I can say ‘yeah, well I won my last one … don’t look at anything before that.'”
It’s impossible to understate the importance of Alvey’s fight against Michal Oleksiejczuk. This is the preliminary card and serves as the main event. A loss would cement Alvey’s departure from UFC.
On the flipside, Alvey knows a win doesn’t necessarily guarantee the UFC will be rushing backstage to offer him a new contract unless he pulls off something truly spectacular with his performance.
Those kinds of heightened expectations can easily bring out the best or the worst in any fighter but Alvey prefers not to go to such extremes even as his future potentially dangles in the balance.
” There’s always pressure,” Alvey said. “I’m the provider for my family. Every win, every fight and everything that I have going for me, is a win. I need to be able to provide for my family. So the pressure of getting re-signed or not getting re-signed, I’ve got talents outside of fighting.
” In the worst-case scenario, my toe is broken on the road to the cage. [I lose], The good Lord is on my side, and whatever comes next, I’ll be successful there. However, this fight is what’s next for me. I’ve trained my ass off. I know what I’ve done. I know who I’m supposed to fight, as of now, and I know what I have done to prepare for this fight has been more than enough.”
If this is the end for Alvey’s career in UFC, he’s happy with his resume because he still competes in one of the largest mixed martial arts promotions in the world.
Of course, Alvey still believes deep down that this isn’t the curtain call on his UFC career but rather a chance to turn the page to a new chapter.
“I don’t feel any more pressure than I normally would. I’ve done more in this sport than most people ever will and I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to do. When I make this skid, I will be prouder than ever.
“I’m going to win. I’m going to make a lot of new fans doing it and they’re going to give me a new contract.”
