Thiago Alves

Alves Venturing Into Bare Knuckle World Former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves is taking his talents to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC). Alves recently entered free agency following the expiry of his UFC contract. However, he will now venture into the world of bare knuckle boxing with BKFC. The promotion's president David Feldman confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday. “I am very excited to have Thiago on the BKFC roster,” Feldman said. “He is very experienced and always has an entertaining fight. He will make his debut in April or May. “We really expect big things from him. He’s a great fighter and a great person.” Alves competed in the UFC for 14 years where he fought against a number of big names. He most notably suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Georges St-Pierre in their welterweight title fight in 2009. The Brazilian ended his UFC stint on a two-fight losing skid following defeats to Laureano Staropoli and Tim Means. However, he is looking for a fresh start with BKFC. “I’m really excited for this new moment in my career,” Alves told MMA Fighting. “I think the Bare Knuckle style matches my style pretty well. I’ll be the 165-pound champion in this organization. The pitbull wants blood.” There is no news on when or who Alves will be facing in his BKFC debut as of yet.