By Ben Fowlkes
- Senior Writer
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SAN FRANCISCO – When UFC welterweight contender
Thiago Alves missed Wednesday's
UFC 117 open workouts to focus on his weight cut, he knew he'd probably set off a minor panic.
"I was expecting that," Alves told MMA Fighting on Thursday afternoon. "Once you miss weight, it's the first thing everyone talks about."
The truth, according to the bulky welterweight who has struggled with making the 170-pound limit in the past, was that his weight cut has proceeded exactly according to plan. Sitting out of the open workouts was no more than a precautionary measure to ensure there were no surprises on the scales later today.
"[The weight cut]'s been easy. It's one of the easiest times it's ever been. I just didn't want to go to the workout and miss a day of working on it, because I wanted to make sure everything was under control and where it should be so I can make it easy on myself. I asked the UFC if I could skip the workout and do some real training, and they let me go. They had so many fighters already, so it was fine."
Alves showed up to the pre-fight press conference sipping from a small jug of water mixed with a dash of juice for vitamin C, and he admitted that he was doing his best to maintain good spirits despite having no more than a little bit of fruit in his stomach and a long day of starvation ahead of him.
But while he's made no secret of the fact that cutting weight is his least favorite part of the fight business, Alves said he's experiencing no more than the ordinary aggravation this time around.
"It is [annoying], but it's part of the job. You get used to dealing with it. You just have to look at the big picture. It's a stepping-stone to get where you want to get. I have no complaints. Obviously, I wish I could be home eating a big meal, but that's not the case. You got to do what you got to do."
As of Thursday afternoon, Alves said he was only eight pounds away from his target weight for the rematch with
Jon Fitch on Saturday night.
Despite the fact that he hasn't fought since his decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 last July, and that he underwent surgery to correct an arteriovenous malformation in his brain back in March, Alves insisted that ring rust wouldn't be a hindrance once he gets his second shot at Fitch.
"I'm not at all worried about it," Alves said. "I've been fighting since I was 15. It's all I know. It's the only place I'm really comfortable, is inside the Octagon. That's all I do is fight, so I'm not worried at all."
Read More: ufc 117, Jon Fitch (MMA), Thiago Alves (MMA)
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