Joel Alvarez once again proved he’s ready for ranked competition in the UFC’s lightweight division earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa LIVE on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., when “El Fenomeno” put a brutal stop to veteran Drakkar Klose via first-round knockout (knee and punches).
Fans tend to forget that Alvarez’s only loss in the past five years came against current title challenger Arman Tsarukyan, but the oddsmakers always remember. Alvarez was a sizeable betting favorite coming into Saturday night with a 6-2 overall UFC record and a 100-percent finish rate.
It didn’t take Alvarez long to find his range and start to do some damage from the outside. Klose was hesitant to attempt a takedown because of Alvarez’s elite ability on the ground, but the veteran still secured one early into the first. Alvarez was able to fight back to the feet and that’s where the action would ultimately end.
“El Fenomeno” landed a clean left hand that sent Klose falling back into the cage. Alvarez was hot on his tail and launched a flying knee that landed flush. Klose looked to be out. Alvarez caught him on his way down and appeared to be close to sinking in a choke, but he just held Klose up and smashed punches into his face until the referee finally stepped in.
It was a pretty wild sequence and a finish that should land Alvarez a top 15 matchup in early 2025. You can check out the video highlights in the above player.
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