WELTERWEIGHT THIAGO ALVES CREDITS MIKE DOLCE FOR WINNING FORMULA
By Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press | Associated Press
Thiago (Pitbull) Alves has always known his way around a cage.
Now the American-based Brazilian welterweight is showing he knows what to do in the kitchen.
Alves, who has a history of having difficulty making weight, credits former fighter Mike Dolce’s nutrition — and strength and conditioning — program for the turnaround.
“Dolce has definitely changed my life, my career,” he said. “I’ve been working with him for over a year now. … I feel much better, I walk around much lighter. I pack a lot more muscle and less fat than the way I used to.
And my energy level is through the roof.”
Alves (24-7) will look to show off his diet when he makes weight for Friday’s televised main event against Martin (The Hitman) Kampmann (18-5) in Sydney, Australia.
It’s the second straight overseas fight for the Florida-based Alves, who submitted Papy Abedi in the first round of UFC 138 in Birmingham, England, last November.
“I don’t mind it, I love it,” said the gregarious Alves. “It’s just a little bit of hassle, the travel, but whatever it takes.”
Alves missed making the 171-pound welterweight limit at UFC 85 and 117 and needed to make a second try to do it at UFC 138 (Dolce blamed it on a miscalibrated scale).
Alves also tested positive for a diuretic after UFC 66 in 2006 and was suspended eight months and fined $5,500 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
A musclebound five foot nine, Alves says nutrition used to be a mystery to him.
“I didn’t know how to eat at all,” he said. “I was just eating calories pretty much.
“Growing up in Brazil, the regular family in Brazil eats rice and beans and pasta every day on the same plate with chicken and steak and eggs. That’s what my lunch and dinner used to be pretty much.”
The 28-year-old Alves also started fighting at a young age, making his pro debut in Brazil in 2001. Back then, weight wasn’t much of an issue — even if his parents ran a bakery.
“I started having weight issues since I moved (to the U.S.),” he said.
He was walking around at 182 pounds back then.
“But the wrong training, the wrong nutrition, that got me to a really bad spot in my career. That’s in the past now. Now that I’ve been working with Dolce, life’s much, much better now.”
Before hooking up with Dolce, Alves says he would weigh as much as 210 when he started training camp. These days it’s between 190 and 195, although he can go as high as 200 “if I don’t do anything for a week.”
Alves predicts an exciting if brief fight at the Allphones Arena on Friday (Saturday local time in Australia).
“I think it’s going to be a very fan-friendly fight,” said Alves. “But I’m determined, I’m ready to not make it last too long.”
Alves knows that opportunities are there for the taking in the 170 pound division with champion Georges St-Pierre injured and interim title-holder Carlos (Natural Born Killer) Condit perhaps needing an opponent before he faces a healthy GSP.
“I’m not looking ahead at all, but I definitely think after this fight I’ll be at the top of the weight class again. So it’s just moving on to whoever takes me closest to fulfil my dream which is fight for the belt again.”
Alves tried to take the title from St-Pierre at UFC 100 in July 2009 but the champion from Montreal had too many weapons, blunting the Brazilian’s Muay Thai attack by taking him down 10 times in the five-round fight.
Alves has gone 2-2 since then, losing to Jon Fitch and Rick Story while beating John Howard and Abedi. But he also had to survive a nasty health scare, needing surgery to separate an artery from a vein in a brain abnormality that turned up in a pre-fight scan.
He was also slowed by a knee injury.
“I’ve definitely been through a lot of things,” he said. “But I don’t regret anything. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I’m just more mature. And I’m still very, very young.”
He also has an impressive record, having won nine of his last 12 fights, and 12 of his last 15.
Alves, who said he took Story too lightly at UFC 130, looked razor-sharp last time against Abedi.
With a few career bumps under his belt, Alves says he is determined to make the most of his opportunities.
“I’ve got the winning formula,” Alves said. “Now I’m just to going to take that winning formula and apply it to Martin Kampmann.”
“I know it’s just a matter of time for me to become a world champion,” he added. “Especially with what’s going on at this weight class.”
Article originally posted on Yahoo! Sports here
