The Eternal Underdog
It’s tough for Sam Alvey to remember the last time he was favored to win a fight, especially with so many people on the internet screaming that he’s destined to lose. After his UFC career came to a close with an 0-8-1 record in his final nine fights, the former Ultimate Fighter competitor never contemplated retirement but understood he was going to face an uphill battle to prove he was still a viable challenge for opponents in combat sports. Alvey scored a win in his next MMA fight but then he was signed to Karate Combat, where he completely rejuvenated his career. He scored three straight wins, not counting a no-contest that ended his third appearance in the promotion, and then got matched up with Tyrone Spong, one of the most vicious kickboxers of all time. Despite the overwhelming skepticism, Alvey delivered a second-round knockout, retaining his Karate Combat heavyweight title.
A New Chapter in Karate Combat
The same narrative is building up again as Alvey prepares to face 6-foot-7 monster Robelis Despaigne on Friday. The Cuban-born knockout artist is looking to build on his perfect 6-0 record in Karate Combat, including four knockouts with a combined time of just 44 seconds. “They keep giving me fights where I should be the underdog!” Alvey told MMA Fighting. “Against Ross Levine, the most dominant middleweight they’ve ever had. Against Antonio Arroyo, who looked like he was built out of stone, and then I had Tyrone Spong, arguably you could say he’s the best kickboxer who ever lived. The only people you would argue with are in his corner. I think they’re trying to do it to me. Hey, I am proving myself to be the greatest karateka to ever live. They’re just making sure I prove it every fight.”
Embracing the Underdog Status
In a strange way, Alvey loves that he’s always counted out because it just makes winning feel that much better. Facing and then conquering insurmountable odds has kind of become his stock and trade. “I love it. It is so much fun,” Alvey said. “Even in my UFC career, I heard that more often than not. When I fought Cezar Mutante, he was the next big thing, the next Vitor [Belfort], and I put him down in three minutes. The amount of respect you get afterwards, it’s crazy. It’s so much fun going in there and beating these guys on paper who should win or everyone on the internet thinks is going to win. It’s just a lot of fun. At the end of the day, I only have so many fights in me, and I hope I fight for another 10 years, but your body’s going to give out because time always wins. This is that fight where I’ll be able to say, yeah, I did this. I’ll be able to show the weigh-in picture, I’ll be able to show [how much bigger he was]. I’ll be able to brag about this, I’ll be able to admire this for the rest of my life.”
Preparing for the Giant
Alvey admits he’s never fought someone as tall as Despaigne but he definitely understands how to attack that kind of opponent. On fight night, Despaigne will certainly tower over Alvey, but he has no problem swinging up to get the knockout or perhaps just chopping down the tree and then delivering the finishing blow. “The problem with tall guys is they fight like they’re tall,” Alvey explained. “They don’t leave their hands up as much because that extra height, that extra four inches, five inches, takes him out of range for most punches. So I have to time his attacks. I have to time when I can attack. If I connect, I know how hard I hit. I’ve got a lot more knockouts than Dan Henderson! I’ve just got to find a way to connect, and sometimes knocking him down, hitting him in the belly, making him bend over, feints, little things like that can adjust his posture and give me a better shot at that chin.”
Despaigne’s Journey
When Despaigne first joined the UFC roster back in 2024, he already had a lot of hype built around him because his first four professional fights all ended in brutal first-round knockouts. He then scored a similar finish in his octagon debut but found out the hard way how the other half lives with his next two fights ending in ugly decision losses. He was then released from his contract. Now Despaigne has rebuilt that ferocious reputation with his performances in Karate Combat, but Alvey understands that beating him probably reignites the same old criticisms that he was never that great to begin with. “I beat Tyrone Spong and immediately people said, ‘well Tyrone Spong is old!’” Alvey said. “Dude’s younger than me! If he would have fought Tyrone Spong in his prime! I’m the same age! I’ll get this win, and it will look real cool, but on paper I’ll be able to tell people I beat a guy who was 285 pounds and I didn’t just beat him, I put him down. That’s the goal.”
The Legacy of a Giant Slayer
“This is a legacy kind of fight. When I’m old and grey and talking to my great-grandchildren, I’ll be able to tell them I beat Goliath. I literally beat a Goliath. I beat a man who is five or six inches taller than me with a reach that is 10 inches longer than mine. It’s crazy how long this man is. But they can say what they want, but they’ll never be able to take away how much bigger he is going to be than me … big tree, fall hard, I’ll make that happen.” Sam Alvey is ready to prove once again that he is more than just an underdog; he is a warrior who thrives in the face of adversity.
