Thiago Alves hasn't been at his best in a long time. Tonight in Montreal, the vicious striker was in tip-top shape. It paid off. He put on a striking clinic against John Howard to pick up a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all cards in the first fight on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 124.
Alves (18-7, 10-4 UFC) is one of the top strikers in the UFC's welterweight division from a technical standpoint, but his career stalled in 2009 and 2010 because he couldn't maintain his weight. The stocky Brazilian missed weight in two of his last four fights. As a result, Alves was listless in his last fight, a one-sided loss to Jon Fitch. An angry Dana White said he was fed up and Alves would have to go middleweight.
Alves got one more chance to stay at the lower weight by changing his lifestyle. He brought in diet expert Mike Dolce. Dolce's plan clearly paid dividends. Alves was fresh for all 15 minutes. His leg kicks were devastasting.
Howard (14-6, 4-2 UFC) tried to go on the offense throughout, but Alves was too smooth for him. Alves had him timed early in the fight and Howard took a beating.
Alves also showed a decent ground game by scoring two takedowns, including a big slam in the second round. He also floored Howard in the third. Alves timed a Howard leg kick and popped him with right, straight down the pipe.
Howard has lost two straight after beginning his UFC career with four wins.
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