Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
Former lightheavyweight champion Mauricio Rua will square off against Sam Alvey in Brazil, in November.
One Brazilian light heavyweight is out of the upcoming Brazil card, but another stepped right in. Just a couple of days after Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was forced out his bout against Trevor Smith at UFC Sao Paulo, ESPN reported that former champion Mauricio Rua was added to the card, matched up against the hard-hitting Sam Alvey.
With four wins in his last five outings, Mauricio Rua (26-11) knocked out Tyson Pedro back in December 2018, but was knocked out himself by Anthony Smith just before the win, in July of the same year. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for ‘Shogun’, who defeated the likes of Gian Villante, Corey Anderson and ‘Lil’ Nog’ during the time.
The situation is not quite the same for Sam Alvey (33-11-1 NC). In desperate need of a win after dropping his last three fights, ‘Smilin’ lost to the likes of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Jimmy Crute and most recently, to Klidson Abreu in July. Now, with his job potentially on the line, the 33-year-old meets Shogun with his last win dating back to June 2018, when he edged out Gian Villante via split decision.
Now, Rua is expected to take on Alvey at UFC Fight Night 154, on November 16, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The card is set to be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza.