Joel Alvarez continues to be allergic to the scorecards.
The dangerous lightweight made it 22 finishes in 22 pro victories with an incredible flying knee knockout of Drakkar Klose at UFC Tampa on Saturday.
Watch the ending sequence below.
HEAVY HITS FROM JOEL ALVAREZ #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/KiNpAg6n4i
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2024
Alvarez had to deal with the wrestling pressure of Klose early on, focusing on regaining position and keeping the fight standing rather than battling Klose on the ground. That strategy paid off when Alvarez began to land hard punches on the feet, capped off by a knee to the head that had Klose badly hurt.
With Klose stunned, Alvarez attacked with a standing guillotine choke and several follow-up punches, but it didn’t take referee Dan Miragliotta long to realize that Klose was out on his feet.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:48 into Round 1.
Afterwards, commentator Michael Bisping asked Alvarez how he’s kept his finishing streak going for so long, and Alvarez could only offer an amusing answer.
“I’m Spanish, what can I say?,” Alvarez said via a translator.
That’s 17 career knockouts and five submissions for Alvarez, who is now 22-3 as a pro. He has won three straight fights and seven of his past eight.
Klose (15-3-1) sees a four-fight win streak come to an end.
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