UFC welterweight Zak Cummings previewed his upcoming fight with former UFC title challenger, Thiago Alves.
Last time out, Zak Cummings made short work of Nathan Coy. He submitted the veteran grinder late in the first round on the Fight Pass Prelims of UFC on FOX 24: Johnson vs. Reis in Kansas City, Missouri.
Cummings was in control for virtually the whole fight, as he predicted, before securing the 11th submission of his pro career (a guillotine in this case). “It went kind of as perfect as I thought it could of,” said Cummings to Bloody Elbow.
Making the win (his sixth inside the Octagon) even more special was that it took place in his own backyard. Cummings is a native of Springfield, MO, which is a short drive from Kansas City, where Cumming currently lives.
“I still can’t even explain how amazing of an experience it was to be able to fight in Kansas City and have everyone there with me,” said Cummings, alluding to the scores of friends, family, and teammates he had in attendance.
“The only thing I could have asked for was being maybe a little higher on the card,” admitted the former Ultimate Fighter: Jones vs. Sonnen cast member. “I was the second fight of the night, but the crowd was behind me. There was still a ton of people in the seats and they were insanely loud.”
This weekend Cummings is back fighting in his home state, versus Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi in St. Louis. And he will be placed higher on the card this time, marginally.
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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Truth be told, Cummings thinks he could have been listed a little higher than the first FS1 prelim fight, especially given the fact he will be competing opposite a former welterweight title challenger in Alves.
Even so, Cummings is delighted to be fighting at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center on Sunday. “It’s the second UFC event in history in Missouri. I was on the first one and now I get to be on the second one, so I’m extremely excited about it,” he said.
“I love traveling, it’s really cool to get on a card that’s in another part of the world and see other cultures, but there’s nothing like being able to fight in front of hometown support and your home crowd and I get to do that twice in a row. I can’t really explain how happy I am with it.”
Along with the fight’s venue, Cummings is delighted with his scheduled opponent. This comes after a previous fight booking, against Coy, which was not exactly the kind of match-up he was hoping for.
Cummings said the Coy fight high-risk, low-reward situation. He believed that Coy was a dangerous opponent, but that fans didn’t know that. So a loss against the experienced wrestler, which was entirely possible, would have been disastrous for his career trajectory.
”I’m happy I got past [Coy] and through him as quick as I did, but with Alves, it’s a little bit different. I wanted someone in the top fifteen, but this is the next best thing, if not better. Alves has fought for a title. He’s had so many fights in the UFC. He’s fought the who’s who of the welterweight division.”
Cummings continued to say that he is a longtime fan of Alves, who went on a seven-fight winning-streak in 2006-2008 against opponents like Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan, and Matt Hughes before dropping a decision to reigning 170lb champion Georges St-Pierre.
”I love his fighting style. I loved watching him fight back in the day, so getting the chance to step up and fight someone like him, I’m extremely happy. He’s a big name and it’s a fight I think I match up pretty well with, so I really couldn’t ask for much more.”
Though he admires Alves, Cummings made it clear that the version of the ‘Pitbull’ he’ll meet on Sunday is one that may not be best suited to 2018’s MMA landscape.
“One big thing that’s really going to help me out is, I haven’t seen much that’s new come out of [Alves]. He’s been pretty much the same fighter for years,” said Cummings. “Unfortunately for him, I feel like he hasn’t evolved with the sport as much as I have.”
That being said, Cummings still thinks Alves is a dangerous opponent. “He has tons of power in his legs and his knees. He’s tough and hard to finish. Hard to take down, hold down, and submit. He’s got a good chin on him. He’s a tough guy, man.”
Ultimately, Cummings is forecasting a win over Alves that fits with his performances versus Coy and Alexander Yakovlev (in November, 2016).
“I hurt people on the feet,” he said. “They either shoot on me or they try and clinch up. And I get the takedown — or stuff the takedown — and normally catch a submission when they get back to the feet. He’s hard to hold down, but that’s where I thrive at; catching guys in the transition, when they try and get back up. I think I can out-strike him, but if it goes to the ground I think I finish him pretty quick.”
Cummings said he hopes that a win over a former title challenger will “turn some heads” and result in fights with the “upper echelon” of the welterweight division. In doing so, Cummings would be happy to shake off the ‘underrated’ tag that has stuck with him thanks in part to resounding finishes and competitive showings against elites like Gunnar Nelson and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
“I feel like I’m pretty underrated as a whole,” said Cummings. “I don’t really look the part, with shredded abs or the typical playboy fighter look; but the thing is, these guys know when they step in with me they’ve got a fight on their hands. Because I can strike with the best of them. I can grapple with the best of them. I can grind with the best of them, there’s really not a part of the game that I can’t do. So I can give anybody in the division problems.”
You can see if Zak Cummings gives Thiago Alves problems on January 14th at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi. Cummings vs. Alves is the first fight of the FS1 Prelims, which begin at 8pm ET.