Sam Alvey preps for Shogun Rua with ‘a lot of face-punching’
UFC light heavyweight fighter, “Smilin’” Sam Alvey, had a big smile on his face when he spoke with The Scrap recently about his upcoming fight. The quick-witted, fighter will be facing Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (26-11-0) on November 16 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“Everyone knows Shogun, he’s one of the world’s greatest fighters; he’s basically the best,” Alvey said. “I’m beside myself with joy that I get to step into the Octagon with him.”
Alvey sounds confident when speaking about the upcoming fight. The 33-year-old trains out of Team Quest founded by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson. The Waterford, Wisconsin native said he has the best coach in Henderson who previously fought Shogun and beat him twice. “I’m doing pretty much whatever he says because whatever he did worked really well. So, we’re doing a lot of face-punching,” he laughed.
With a record of 33-13-0, Alvey admits that he didn’t watch MMA until he was 10-1 as a professional fighter. “I was a band nerd,” he said. “I played trumpet, I went to college and graduated with a degree. I was planning on being a personal trainer for the rest of my life.”
After his first amateur appearance in 2007, however, Alvey never looked back.
Shogun has faced some of the most notable figures in UFC history like the aforementioned Henderson, Forest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Jon Jones, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson just to name a few. In fighting Shogun, one of the most renowned long-standing fighters in the UFC, Alvey is positive his name will become prominent in the MMA world as well. “Not only to fight someone like him, but to beat someone like him is going to do wonders for me.”
And for all those wondering what toothpaste “Smilin’” Sam uses to keep his teeth so pearly white; “Whatever is on sale…. five for $5.00.”
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The Scrap’s Caroline Romero is a journalism graduate and has 3 children involved in combat sport. Make sure to follow her son Simon Romero on his Behind The Grind podcast on YouTube.
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