Joel Alvarez met the media Saturday after his win over Vicente Luque at UFC Fight Night 261.
In a fight he took as a replacement on reasonably short notice, Alvarez (23-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) outworked Luque (23-12-1 MMA, 16-8 UFC) on the main card at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Alvarez moved up to welterweight from his regular home at lightweight for the fight, and now thinks his days at 170 pounds are over.
“I’m really happy with the weight division,” Alvarez told the UFC through a translator after his win. “I was called in to be a substitute for this fight, so it was kind of short notice. I’d be happy to do that again, but it felt really good in the new division.
“Going back to lightweight would be suicide for me. This is where I’m much more comfortable I think I’m on the smaller side as a welterweight, but I can be much more comfortable and at ease in this division.”
Check out Alvarez’s post-fight interview in the video below.
