UFC middleweight Sam Alvey is making the jump to light heavyweight to take on Marcin Prachnio at UFC on Fox 28 in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 24.

The move to light heavyweight isn’t permanent. In fact, it wasn’t even planned. 

“They didn't have any middleweight fights for me, so I said, 'I'll fight at 205 if that helps me get a fight,'” Alvey told FloCombat. “The UFC, they've always been so generous in finding me fights and letting me compete. They found someone the next day. I never say 'no' to a fight. I said 'yes' and I've had a pretty good camp so far.”

The move up to light heavyweight isn't influenced by Alvey’s last trip to the Octagon on Oct. 21. Leading up to that bout, Alvey faced a monster weight cut, as he accepted a fight against Ramazan Emeev on short notice. Alvey would go on to lose the fight, something he blames on the extreme weight cut. 

"It was too much," Alvey said. "I had too much respect for what I can do. I cut 42 pounds in 14 days — well I was supposed to anyways. I made it to about 39 and it was just too much. So I got into the fight, I was slow, everything was off. 

"But I made it through the fight at least, without being finished. I have at least that positive to look at.”

Alvey’s focus has completely shifted to the man standing across him at UFC Orlando. Prachnio represents a stiff test, especially with his experience in Karate.

“The guy's a stud,” Alvey said. “He's athletic. He's big. I have a lot of fights: He has 150 karate matches and 150 that he's won. So he's very talented. I can't wait to share an Octagon with him.”

Despite his experience in karate, Alvey believes Prachnio will struggle against him, despite the size difference. 

“I think I match up very well,” Alvey said. “Of course, I'll be a little smaller, but I think that I will have some advantages. I'm one of the bigger middleweights, and now I'll be an average-sized light heavyweight. I think my speed, my conditioning, and my cardio will all be up to snuff. 

"It's going to be a bad night for him.”

One of Alvey’s strengths over the years has been the power he carries in his hands. With 18 of his wins coming by way of knockout, it’s easy to think of him as simply a power puncher. But Alvey’s been working on adding new tools to his belt while also sticking to his strengths heading into the bout.

“I want to work my jiu-jitsu more with every fight, I want to work my wrestling, and my striking," Alvey said. "At the end of the day, everyone is scared of my hands, so I have to give them something else to worry about.”

As for the fight, Alvey’s confident he’ll come out victorious.

“I predict my hand's going to be raised,” Alvey said. “It's going to be held up there and I'm going to get that microphone and make some noise in front of my Orlando fans.”

By Lucas Grandsire