(Esther Lin/MMAFighting)UFC Fight Night 61: Keys to Victory for Cezar Ferreira RJ Gardner February 17, 2015 Events, Previews, Spotlight On Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, the UFC heads to the Ginasio Gigantinho in Porto Alegre, Brazil for UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir. While this isn’t the greatest card there are some interesting matchups to keep an eye; specifically the middleweight bout between Cezar Ferreira and Sam Alvey. Even though neither fighter is currently a threat to the UFC middleweight top 10, this is an intriguing bout between two fighters looking to gain position in an increasingly competitive division. A fine example of a classic striker vs. grappler matchup Alvey vs. Ferreira could prove to be one of the most entertaining fights on the card. While Alvey is a dangerous knockout artist, Ferreira has more than enough tools to take home the victory. Be Careful on the Feet Ferreira is a sold fighter and he has a good striking skill set, but he doesn’t have the greatest chin. Two of his three career losses have come by way of knockout and that just so happened to be Alvey’s specialty. Alvey is a thunderous striker with 15 knockout victories to his credit. Standing toe to toe with Alvey on Sunday could be disastrous for Ferreira. Look for the Takedown Training at Team Quest, you know Alvey’s wrestling game will be on point, but Ferreira needs this fight to hit the ground if he wants to win. Taking down a wrestler like Alvey isn’t going to be easy, but Ferreira has surrounded himself with the right training partners at Extreme Couture and the Blackzilians to do just that. As powerful as Alvey is on the feet, no one has knockout power when they are on their back. Avoid Bottom Position But while Ferreira desperately needs this fight to take place on the ground, he can’t spend much time on his back. Ferreira is a third degree BJJ black belt, but with a solid wrestling base and brutal ground-and-pound Alvey is a nightmare on top. If Ferreira does find himself with his back on the mat he needs to be aggressive and attack Alvey with submission attempts and sweeps; he can’t let Alvey posture up and rain down strikes.
