‘The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3’ Finale Preview

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“The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” Middleweight Final

Warlley Alves (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Marcio Alexandre Jr. (12-0, 0-0 UFC)

The Matchup: A four-time Jungle Fight veteran, Alves entered “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” as one of the reality show’s more promising prospects. Despite being a natural welterweight, the X-Gym product drew high praise from coach Chael Sonnen, who called Alves a “future champion.”

While that might not turn out to be true, Alves displayed a dynamic finishing ability on the show, knocking out Ismael de Jesus with vicious knees from the Thai plum and submitting Francisco Wagner Mergulhao da Silva with a guillotine choke in the semifinals. His ability to trap Gomes in the choke was especially impressive considering he was hopping on one foot defending a takedown at the time.

Alves appears to be most comfortable in the clinch, where he can attack with knees or look to take his man to the mat. He is capable of transitioning quickly to submissions on the canvas: At Jungle Fight 46, he immediately moved from a body-lock takedown to a fight-ending arm-triangle choke to tap Carlos Alberto Bazan Rojas in the second round. On the feet, he will use kicks to control distance or attack aggressively with power punches.

A representative of Team Tavares, Alexandre lived dangerously on the show, scoring split verdicts over both Paulo Costa and Ricardo Abreu to earn his spot in the final. Alexandre, who is nicknamed “Lyoto” after former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, comes from a karate background. All of Alexandre’s professional bouts prior to the show were short-lived affairs, with only one going past the opening frame, so it is encouraging that he was able to prevail in a couple longer, more competitive bouts on “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Alves will have to adjust to Alexandre’s unusual stance, but he could find openings to land punches because the karateka holds his hands low. “Lyoto” is not uncomfortable in the clinch, and he favors a trip takedown in order to get his man to the canvas. Considering how powerful Alves has looked there, however, it would be wise for Alexandre to control distance. He changes levels with his kicks well, but he appears more vulnerable to counters when throwing punches.

The Pick: Alves looked like the more dynamic talent on the show. If he can prevent Alexandre from fighting on the outside for extended periods of time, he should be able to get the better of the fight in close quarters. Alves wins by decision.

Next Fight » Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Vitor Miranda