Joel Álvarez
Spanish mixed martial arts fighter (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joel Álvarez González (born March 2, 1993) is a Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
| Joel Álvarez | |
|---|---|
Álvarez in 2022 | |
| Born | Joel Álvarez González March 2, 1993 Gijón, Asturias, Spain |
| Other names | El Fenómeno ('The Phenomenon') |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Lightweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 77 in (196 cm)[1] |
| Fighting out of | Gijón, Asturias, Spain |
| Team | Bandog Fight Club |
| Rank | Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 27 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 17 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Early life
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
A professional competitor since 2013, Álvarez fought primarily in his native Spain and garnered a record of 15 wins against 1 loss in the first five years of his career. He was undefeated in the Spanish promotion Ansgar Fighting League (AFL), where he was the lightweight champion, after defeating Brazil's Júlio César Alves by submission in the second round.[4]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In his debut, Álvarez faced Damir Ismagulov on February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 145.[5] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[6]
Álvarez faced Danilo Belluardo on June 1, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 153. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[7]
Álvarez faced Joseph Duffy on July 15, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 172.[8] He won the fight via a submission in round one.[9]
Álvarez faced Alexander Yakovlev on October 24, 2020, at UFC 254.[10] At the weigh-ins, Álvarez weighed in at 159.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30% of his purse, which went to his opponent Yakovlev.[11] He won the fight via an armbar submission in round one.[12]
Álvarez was scheduled to face Christos Giagos on May 15, 2021, at UFC 262.[13] However, Álvarez was removed from the bout in early May due to alleged visa issues that restricted his travel, and was replaced by Sean Soriano.[14]
Álvarez faced Thiago Moisés on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197.[15] At the weigh-ins, Álvarez weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Álvarez fined 30% of his purse, which went to Moisés.[16] Álvarez won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[17]
Álvarez faced Arman Tsarukyan on February 26, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 202.[18] He lost the bout via ground and pound TKO in the second round.[19]
Álvarez was scheduled to face Zubaira Tukhugov on February 14, 2023, at UFC 284.[20] However, Álvarez withrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Elves Brener.[21]
Álvarez faced Marc Diakiese on July 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 224.[22] He won the fight via brabo choke submission in the second round.[23]
Álvarez was scheduled to face Ľudovít Klein on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238.[24] However, Álvarez withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by AJ Cunningham.[25]
Álvarez was scheduled to face Mateusz Rębecki on April 27, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 55.[26] However, Álvarez pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.[27]
Álvarez faced Elves Brener on August 3, 2024, at UFC on ABC 7.[28] He won the fight by technical knockout as a result of knees and punches in the third round.[29] This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.[30]
Álvarez faced Drakkar Klose on December 14, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 63.[31] He won the fight by knockout via a flying knee and punches in the first round.[32]
Álvarez was scheduled to face Benoît Saint Denis on May 10, 2025 at UFC 315.[33] However, Álvarez withdrew from the bout due to a hand injury and was replaced by Kyle Prepolec.[34]
Álvarez was reportedly scheduled to face Grant Dawson on August 2, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 71.[35] However, for unknown reasons, the bout was not formally announced.[36]
Álvarez faced Vicente Luque, replacing an injured Santiago Ponzinibbio, on October 11, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 261.[37] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[38]
Álvarez faced Yaroslav Amosov on May 9, 2026 at UFC 328.[39] He lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke in round two.[40]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Elves Brener[30]
- Ansgar Fighting League
- AFL Lightweight Championship (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
| 27 matches | 23 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 2 |
| By submission | 17 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 23–4 | Yaroslav Amosov | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 328 | May 9, 2026 | 2 | 1:13 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 23–3 | Vicente Luque | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs. Gamrot | October 11, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 22–3 | Drakkar Klose | KO (flying knee and punches) | UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Buckley | December 14, 2024 | 1 | 2:48 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 21–3 | Elves Brener | TKO (knees and punches) | UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov | August 3, 2024 | 3 | 3:36 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 20–3 | Marc Diakiese | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura | July 22, 2023 | 2 | 4:26 | London, England | |
| Loss | 19–3 | Arman Tsarukyan | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green | February 26, 2022 | 2 | 1:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 19–2 | Thiago Moisés | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 1 | 3:01 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (157.5 lb) bout; Álvarez missed weight. |
| Win | 18–2 | Alexander Yakovlev | Submission (armbar) | UFC 254 | October 24, 2020 | 1 | 3:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (159.5 lb) bout; Álvarez missed weight. |
| Win | 17–2 | Joseph Duffy | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 | July 19, 2020 | 1 | 2:25 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 16–2 | Danilo Belluardo | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith | June 1, 2019 | 2 | 2:22 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Loss | 15–2 | Damir Ismagulov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos | February 23, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 15–1 | Radu Maxim | Submission (triangle choke) | Ansgar Fighting League 17 | November 24, 2018 | 1 | 4:29 | Langreo, Spain | Won the AFL Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–1 | Julio Cesar Alves | Submission (brabo choke) | Ansgar Fighting League 16 | September 29, 2018 | 2 | 1:02 | Valladolid, Spain | Catchweight (161 lb) bout. |
| Win | 13–1 | Alexandre Ribeiro | Submission (triangle choke) | Ansgar Fighting League 15 | May 5, 2018 | 1 | 4:17 | San Sebastián, Spain | |
| Win | 12–1 | Kevin Daniel Delgado | Submission (guillotine choke) | Ansgar Fighting League 14 | March 17, 2018 | 1 | 0:26 | Las Palmas, Spain | |
| Win | 11–1 | Francisco Gonzalez | Submission (guillotine choke) | Ansgar Fighting League 13 | October 14, 2017 | 1 | 1:59 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 10–1 | Jekson Poleza | Submission (triangle choke) | Ansgar Fighting League 12 | June 3, 2017 | 1 | 1:57 | Barcelona, Spain | |
| Win | 9–1 | Anthony Muller | TKO (punches) | Fight Night Series 2 | March 18, 2017 | 1 | 0:33 | Montreux, Switzerland | |
| Win | 8–1 | Moncef Ed Doukani | Submission (anaconda choke) | MMA Casino Fights: Álvarez vs. Ed Doukani | October 8, 2016 | 1 | 1:45 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 7–1 | Jose Luis Bravo | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA Casino Fights: Álvarez vs. Bravo | July 8, 2016 | 1 | 0:49 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 6–1 | Carlos Villar | Submission (armbar) | MMA España: Bandog Challenge 3 | June 12, 2015 | 1 | 4:20 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Loss | 5–1 | Ali Abdulkhalikov | KO (spinning heel kick) | M-1 Challenge 56 | April 10, 2015 | 1 | 0:34 | Moscow, Russia | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 5–0 | Graham Turner | Submission (guillotine choke) | Rage in the Cage 3 | March 21, 2015 | 3 | N/A | Paisley, Scotland | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Jose Luis Bravo | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA España: Desafio Burgos Profight 2015 | March 7, 2015 | 1 | 3:20 | Burgos, Spain | |
| Win | 3–0 | Helson Henriques | Submission (anaconda choke) | International Pro Combat 6 | January 26, 2015 | 1 | 1:23 | Lisbon, Portugal | |
| Win | 2–0 | Hicham Rachid | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA España: Bandog Challenge 2 | April 12, 2014 | 1 | 2:01 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 1–0 | Aratz Garmendia | Submission (triangle choke) | Txurdinaga Sutan: Pro Boxing & MMA | December 28, 2013 | 1 | 3:19 | Bilbao, Spain |