NEWARK, NJ – MAY 04: Dana White speaks to the press and the fans at the UFC 288 media day on May 4, … [+] 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The UFC’s various entry points offer us a look at fighters who could be future champions. Unfortunately, the excitement of shows like Dana White’s Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter also generates their share of busts.
Warlley Alves, the winner of TUF Season 3 in May 2014, might fall somewhere in the middle. The 34-year-old Brazilian was released on Wednesday, per the ever-reliable UFC Roster Watch social media account.
As of early Thursday, Alves hadn’t acknowledged the separation from the UFC.
GDANSK, POLAND – OCTOBER 17: Warlley Alves of Brazil poses for a portrait during a UFC photo … [+] session on October 17, 2017 in Gdansk, Poland. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Alves is in the midst of a tough stretch. He’s lost four in a row and five of his last six fights, dropping his overall MMA record to 14-8 and 8-8 in the UFC. Most recently, Alves lost a unanimous decision to Abus Magomedov in May 2024.
Alves’ last win was a TKO over Mounir Lazzez in January 2021. The losses have continued to pile up despite Alves moving up from welterweight to middleweight, where he has lost his last two fights.
The dreaded four-fight losing streak is almost always an indication that the writing is on the wall. However, there are some exceptions, and that’s usually the case for fighters who have crowd-pleasing styles. Since Alves’ KO loss to Jeremiah Wells—the defeat that kicked off the current losing streak—his approach has been a little more measured.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 26: (L-R) Jeremiah Wells punches Warlley Alves of Brazil in a welterweight … [+] fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Alves’ opponents have thrown more significant strikes than him throughout the losing streak, and it begs the question: is he done fighting?
Alves is only 34, so it is possible he could find a home with the Global Fight League—and he could likely make some noise in the new promotion’s middleweight division. While it is possible, Alves and the Professional Fighters League don’t seem to be a match. I’ve spoken with the PFL’s head man Donn Davis, and he told me the promotion is more focused on signing young up-and-comers over veterans.
Even if Alves continues to fight, he doesn’t appear to be a candidate for a return to the UFC down the road, barring a last-minute replacement for a short-notice fight.
As it is, his career has been better than most but probably not quite on par with what he hoped—or what most expected when he came firing out of the blocks on TUF.
What’s Next for the UFC?
The UFC is already in Seattle for a Fight Night card headlined by Henry Cejudo taking on Song Yadong. Here is a look at the complete card set for February 22.
UFC Fight Night Seattle – February 22 on ESPN+
- Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto – Catchweight (140 lbs)
- Jean Silva vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker – Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
- Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Ion Cutelaba vs. Ibo Aslan – Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
- Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Eric McConico – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Ricky Simón vs. Javid Basharat – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Nick Klein vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Austin Vanderford – Welterweight (170 lbs)
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Raffael Cerqueira – Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Be on the lookout for post-event content, including results, bonus winners, and other fighters who might be teetering on the release line.
