UFC on FOX 23 results: Sam Alvey gets the nod over Nate Marquardt

A brief flurry at the end of the first round may have been the difference between Sam Alvey getting his fourth consecutive victory and Nate Marquardt getting the win in his hometown of Denver.

Alvey battered Marquardt during the second round of their UFC on FOX 23 middleweight fight. Marquardt rallied for a strong third round.

So you had to rewind to the opening round of their fight to find the winner. There wasn’t much doing by either fighter in the altitude at Pepsi Center over the opening five minutes. But Alvey scored with a big finishing flurry in the closing seconds, closing the distance with punches and landing knees in the clinch right up to the horn.

And that was enough to sway the judges, as he took across-the-board scores of 29-28 for the unanimous decision victory.

With the victory, Alvey, the Team Quest competitor, improved to 30-8 (1NC). He’s won four straight and is 7-2 in his past nine fights.

Marquardt (31-12), the former Strikeforce welterweight champ, had a two-fight win streak snapped.