Welterweights
Thiago Alves (23-13) vs. Laureano Staropoli (8-1)Advertisement
It looked like his career was over a few years ago, but Alves has managed to hang around much better than expected. He suffered a cascade of injuries that kept him out for over two years, but while he came back looking diminished in 2014, he has not slowed down much from that form. At his peak, Alves was known for his physical strength and a vicious leg kicking game, but in recent years, that has mostly just made him a plodding power striker. Against faster and longer athletes, Alves does in fact look overmatched: He did little against the rangier Alexey Kunchenko, and Curtis Millender used his length to eventually blast Alves with a knockout knee. However, on a more even playing field, Alves can still hold his own in a war; he handled Patrick Cote in the latter’s retirement fight and is coming off of an impressive performance against Max Griffin. The decision win may have been undeserved, but Alves held his own against a younger fighter who could match him punch for punch. There are still some fun fights left for Alves against his fellow class of welterweight vets, but instead, the UFC has decided to go the Brazil-versus-Argentina route, as he faces a young brawler in Staropoli.
The UFC made its debut in Argentina in 2018, which is why it signed Staropoli; and for at least one night, it paid off. Staropoli looked to be little more than a wild brawler based off of his pre-UFC fights, and when he hit the Octagon, he was still exactly that, earning a win and a “Fight of the Night” bonus against Hector Aldana. If the UFC had to pick up an Argentine fighter for the Buenos Aires card, Staropoli was as good a flier as any, and a lot of the Latin and South American pickups have overachieved in the UFC. Yet there is still a way to go.
There is something to be said for sheer aggression, as Staropoli might be able to blitz Alves and score something big before the older fighter can react, but longtime American Top Team rep has proven to be tough to knock out and it still does not appear as if Staropoli has much of a backup plan if that approach does not work. Add in that Alves can probably rely on his wrestling game as a failsafe, and the Brazilian vet has every tool he needs to make this an easy night. The pick is Alves via second-round stoppage.
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