UFC 130: 5 Fights to Get Thiago Alves Back on Track

After his deflating loss to young up-and-comer Rick Story at UFC 130, Thiago Alves needs to get back on track.

Alves had one of the best break-out years had by anybody in 2008 with wins over Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck; he has now gone just 1-4 since then though.

He has been out-wrestled and out-hustled in his three losses, while his lone win was an impressive decision over fellow striker John Howard.

It can be hard rebounding from a fight he was so heavily favored to win. 

Being that this is the UFC, Alves will not and should not be given any easy fights. Although they will not be easy, these are the top five fights to get Thiago Alves back on track.

Martin Kampmann

Martin Kampmann has an upcoming bout scheduled against John Howard, but win or lose, he could conceivably be the perfect next opponent for Alves.

Kampmann's takedowns are good, but they are definitely not on the level of Story, St-Pierre or Fitch. Kampmann also has very sound technical striking and will test Alves everywhere the fight goes.

John Hathaway

Alves could redeem his loss against Rick Story by shutting down another young up-and-comer.

After a break-out performance against Diego Sanchez, Hathaway was on his way to stardom until veteran Mike Pyle showed him he still has a lot to learn.

Hathaway rebounded with a split-decision over Kris McCray, and a matchup with Alves would be the perfect fight for both men to put them where they need to be in the stacked welterweight division.

Amir Sadollah

These are the two best Muay Thai leg-kickers in the welterweight division and possibly the sport.

Sadollah has an upcoming matchup against Muay Thai champion Duane Ludwig, but either way, an eventual matchup with Alves would be an excellent fight for the fans.

Like Alves, Sadollah is a fan favorite, but unlike Alves, he has yet to prove he is championship-caliber.

It would be an honor for Alves to try and keep it that way.

Daniel Roberts

Daniel Roberts is an excellent submission grappler and good wrestler, but it would certainly not be easy for him to take Alves down. Alves needs to get back on track by not being out-wrestled, but he still needs to prove he can win when his opponent is committed to finding a takedown.

Alves would test Roberts's striking, while Roberts would test Thiago's takedown defense. They would test each other's skill sets, as well as game plans. 

Roberts is 3-2 in the UFC and 12-2 overall.

Winner of Chris Lytle vs. Dan Hardy

Chris Lytle and Alves met in an exciting war back in 2007. The two fighters put on an instant classic that was unfortunately ended by a doctor's stoppage due to cuts; fans have been clamoring for a rematch ever since.

If Dan Hardy prevails though, the fellow former title challenger would also provide the perfect toe-to-toe matchup for Alves.

Lytle would want the chance to redeem his 2007 loss to Alves, while Hardy would be happy to get another marquee matchup against a non-wrestler.

I am in.