UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade - Predictions and Picks

#4 Thiago Alves vs. Laureano Staropoli

Thiago Alves has been in the UFC for more than a decade now

This one feels like a weird choice for a main card fight, as Staropoli has fought just once in the UFC – a decision win over Hector Aldana in his native Argentina last November – and while Thiago Alves has been around for more than a decade and has challenged for the Welterweight title, he’s also miles past his prime at this stage and should probably be considering retirement.

This could be his chance to go out with a victory, though. Sure, his durability is largely gone at this stage and his reflexes and speed aren’t what they once were either, but we’re only two years removed from a performance that saw him destroy Patrick Cote like it was 2008 all over again, and his striking skill and power still seem as they were in his prime.

Staropoli meanwhile hasn’t fought an opponent anywhere near the calibre of ‘The Pitbull’ over his 8-1 career – which stretches back to just 2013 – and while he did win his UFC debut, it wasn’t without issues, as he entered into a dirty brawl with Aldana and largely won based on his superior volume, as both men came away looking hurt and badly busted up.

The fact that he didn’t finish Aldana despite landing cleanly on numerous occasions doesn’t bode well for this one either; if he had one-shot knockout power I’d be tempted to take him purely due to Alves’ waning durability, but then ‘The Pitbull’ actually outstruck Max Griffin in his previous fight to take a decision and pushed Alexey Kunchenko hard too, and both men landed cleanly on him and couldn’t put him away.

In the end this comes down to the simple question of, is Staropoli good enough to take out a waning veteran like Alves who, outside of his durability and speed, still has most of his skills intact? I’m just not convinced he is, particularly based on the lone UFC fight he’s had. I’ll take Alves to win by late TKO here.

The Pick: Alves via third round TKO